


Dark Web

by mapleaxs



Category: Men's Hockey RPF, Women's Hockey RPF
Genre: F/M, M/M, all of them are deeply out of character, brought from off anonymous, deep web, more descriptive of attempted rape, rape is non descriptive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:54:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 31
Words: 35,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22855810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mapleaxs/pseuds/mapleaxs
Summary: “Just trust me, you’re going to want to see this.” And that was that.Matt placed his cursor on another link. “Justlikeu.xx? Spencer what the hell is this?”Numerous photos of hockey players filled the screen. At first Matt wasn’t alarmed.Then he took a closer look.It appeared that each photo was taken at an odd angle, like the person who took it was hiding. The photos themselves were odd. Instead of a smile or cute photo moment, the pictures were just random. Matt recognized a few faces right away.
Relationships: Jake Gardiner/Morgan Rielly, Kasperi Kapanen/William Nylander, Mitch Marner/Auston Matthews, Sydney Esiason/Matt Martin
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> yes hi i brought this off anonymous because i wanted to! remember comments feed the writer please give me validation
> 
> also ryan=casey originally i made it ryan strome and i might have skipped over changing it a few times I'm so sorry

Matt licked his lips as he scrolled through the small list of sites. That game was really accurate to the real thing. A little too accurate if you asked him. Matt continued clicking through the sites, appalled at what he saw. The internet was a messed up place, he knew that, but this? This was repulsive. 

Then again, it couldn’t all be real. At least, he didn’t think so.Spencer, an internet friend of Matt, had sent him the links and gave him instructions on what to do with them. Spencer seemed eager for Matt to check out the links, so the curious man he was, Matt asked why. 

“Just trust me, you’re going to want to see this.” And that was that. 

Matt placed his cursor on another link. “Justlikeu.xx? Spencer what the hell is this?”

Numerous photos of hockey players filled the screen. At first Matt wasn’t alarmed. 

Then he took a closer look. 

It appeared that each photo was taken at an odd angle, like the person who took it was hiding. The photos themselves were odd. Instead of a smile or cute photo moment, the pictures were just random. Matt recognized a few faces right away. 

Kasperi Kapanen was at a bookshop, taking to a random fan. The photo was from across the street looking into the bookshop.

Another featured Sidney Crosby but, at his house? Matt nearly wanted to puke. It was at a down angle near his front door. Someone fucking hid a camera literally right under his nose. 

Matt scrolled down. “Spence, this is fucking creepy.”His friend signed on the other end. “This is why I like keeping my anonymity. Hey, is that-“

“Fuck, it is.”Matt felt the hairs stand on the back of his neck. 

The photo was of Casey Cizikas, Matt and Spencer’s long-time friend. He was standing outside a random deli shop with his wife, Kristy. The image was crooked, which made Matt wonder if it was rushed. He saw that there were still many photos he had yet to see.   
“Spence, how long has this site been up?”

“My buddy said that whoever started the page made it a few months ago. You send a request for a certain celebrity,they do mostly hockey players, and some cash. The most cash you send, the more revealing of a photo.. I actually think somebody sent in over a hundred dollars for some house shots. Creepy fucking stalkers.”

Matt gulped. He knew the dread of random people always at your door. He does not wish this invasion of privacy on anyone.   
“I want to leave now.”Matt said. “Actually Matt, you really need to see something first. I told you that there was one site in particular you had to check out.”

Matt massaged his temple. What could be creepier than this?  
“Alright Spence, give me the address.”

“It should be the last item on your clipboard.”Matt scrolled down.

“Players4sale.xx?Sounds fake as hell.”

“Just click it.”

Matt sighed and clicked the link. After a few seconds the web page loaded. It was just a black screen with the words “Coming Soon” in white. Matt groaned. “I told you it was fake!”

“Matt, the same people who worked on that creepy picture site have just started this. It’s only been up for a day, but you saw how real those photos were. What if this is legit? You need to be careful.”

“Spence,holy shit, it’s a hoax. Nothing but a prank. It is impossible for someone to actually kidnap one of us. Sure, it gets played up in stories and junk, but none of our fans are psychotic enough to participate in this bullshit.”

“What about all those people who show up at your house?”

“That’s just stalker fans. This right here, this shit is fucked up.”

“I’m not so sure Matt, the pictures-“

“You know what Spence, I was having a nice day. We were playing video games, having a good time, and then you demanded I check out these sites, which I did. If you would excuse me, I’m fucking tired.”He ended the call with Spencer and shut off the computer.

Matt got up and started walking to his bedroom. Spencer was worrying about nothing. Sure those photos were strange, but none of them seemed that bad. It was just really shitty paparazzi. There was no way someone would actually put in the effort of kidnapping a hockey player.It’s just way too fucked up.

Matt yawned as he got into bed beside Sydney. Jax was completely stretched out over Matt’s usual spot. He growled. “Damn you Jax..”The dog opened his eyes to lazily gaze at his owner. He then rolled over to the side.   
“Thank you Jax.” Matt clambered into bed, wrapping an arm around Sydney. She stirred a little, but didn’t wake up. Matt smiled and fell asleep, completely forgetting the websites.   
—-  
Matt woke up the next morning refreshed. Syd was still asleep, so he decided to have a quick breakfast. He poured a bowl of cereal and scrolled through Twitter. Fan art, new gifs,new Auston memes, same old same old. 

He left Twitter and went on to Instagram. After a couple of minutes of scrolling through his feed, his phone rang. It was Amy. Matt furrowed his brow in confusion. He glanced at his clock. It’s way too early for anyong to be calling anyone. 

Matt answered the call. “Hello-“He said in a singsong voice. He heard sobbing on the other end of the line. He quickly changed his tone. 

“Kristy? Are you okay?”

“Has Casey contacted you in anyway within the past twenty-four hours?”  
“No, why?”Matt was starting to get concerned now. 

“”I-It’s Casey, he didn’t come home yesterday. I’ve tried calling him, but he won’t answer me. Matt he’s not usually like this.” Her breathing became uneven. Matt tried his best to calm her down. “Okay Kristy, breathe. Where was the last time you saw him?”

“We had just gotten some meat at the deli shop, a-and when we came home, he said he left his phone. He went back and now he’s not here. I thought he would’ve gotten his phone back by now.”She broke out sobbing again. 

“Kristy,listen carefully to me.”Matt was dead serious, a rare sight.”I want you to call someone nearby who can get there quick. Have then stay with you. I’ll try to contact Casey. His phone is probably dead. If he doesn’t show up by the end of today call the police.”

“O-okay, thank you.”Amy hung up.

Matt felt dread growing within his stomach. He glanced at the office. There’s no way, right?  
Matt got up and walked to his office, shutting the door behind him. He turned on the computer he had been using to surf the deep web, looking through the sites he visited yesterday. His cursor hovered over the fake Players4sale link.   
It couldn’t be real. There was no way.   
Matt clicked it.  
—  
“Oh my god.”

The “coming soon” screen had been replaced with a picture and a status bar. The bar stated that there was one day left until the sale was off, and that the highest bid was currently a half-million dollars. That wasn’t what Matt was looking at.   
What he was looking at was the picture of Casey Cizikas, gagged and unconscious. He had a bruise right along his eyebrow that spread to his forehead. Matt tried to keep himself from throwing up right then and there.   
He yanked his phone out of his pocket, calling Spencer. One thing was for sure. That website was definitely not fake.


	2. 2

Each second that timer lost brought the possibility of losing Casey even closer.   
Matthew Martin was not about to lose one of his best friends.   
He anxiously bobbed his knee whilst waiting for Spencer to pick up. His heartbeat quickened so did the thud of his heel against the floor.   
Thud...thud  
Thud..thud  
Matt felt a nip on his ankle.   
THUDTHUDTHUD  
He looked down to see Jax chewing on his pant leg. Matt groaned.

“Jax you fucking asshole, you’re going to kill me one day.”His thoughts wandered back to Casey, and suddenly the word kill seemed overused. 

“Hello?”Spence’s voice broke through Matt’s thoughts. He gripped his phone tightly in his hands as he spoke. “Spence, I’m so fucking sorry, you were right, that site is real as shit.”

“Whoa what happened? You sound on edge as fuck right now.”Spence’s calm voice, through usually soothing, did little to help Matt’s nerves. 

“It’s-look at the site.”Matt didn’t want to verbally describe the event to his friend. He was going to have to see that horror for himself. 

After a few seconds of silence, Spence gasped. “It’s been up for almost eight hours.” Matt nodded. “Yeah, but if we call the cops, maybe they could track him down?”

“It doesn’t work like that, Matt. This isn’t just some website, this is the Deep Web. Cops can’t access this so easily. This is federal government business. Even then, but the time we would have gotten them to help, Ryan would have been sold already.”Spence seemed to hold a lot of knowledge on the twisted ways of the Deep Web. Matt didn’t question it, after all Spence was a trustworthy friend. He knew if he could count on anyone, it was Spence. 

“What can we do then? I mean, they’re trying to sell a fucking human being! Not only that, but it’s Casey! We can’t sit around and do nothing!” Matt glanced back at the picture of Casey. He just then noticed the blood surrounding his nose. He quickly looked away, already sensing the bile in his throat.   
Spence sighed into the phone. “Alright, I have an idea, but before you shoot me down, just listen, okay?”Matt nodded, ready to go with whatever Spence suggested. “What is it?”

“Buy Casey.”

Matt’s eyes widened.”Absolutely fucking not.”

“Just hear me out-“

“Spence,”Matt interrupted. “Casey is a human being, I can’t purchase him like he’s property. That’s just, I can’t.”

Spencer snapped. “Well it’s either you or some online creep.” There was a moment of silence as Matt pondered the possibilities. In reality he had no choice. He sighed in defeat. “How do I do it?”

Spence went into instruction mode. “Do you see the red button above Casey’s picture?”Matt hovered the mouse over it, trying not to look at his bloody friend. “Yeah.”

“Click it.”Matt did so, and a window popped up. It was dark blue with a white tab in the middle. 

“A tab should’ve appeared. Type in an amount.”Matt looked at the highest bid so far. One million exact. He typed in one and a-half-million. “Now?” He asked with uncertainty. 

Spence chimed in again. “Now you wait a little bit before clicking the submit button. It’s kind of like eBay. There’s going to be some jerk who sweeps in for the steal. Today you will be that jerk.”

Matt glanced at the hours left on the timer. Fifteen hours. “Spence, there is a long time until the sale ends.”

“Yeah, there is. If you want you can come back later on. The site will still be here. Just, don’t tell anyone. Internet criminals have a tendency to spy on Deep Web users. You might jeopardize our chances at saving Casey.”

“What?”Matt cried. “How do I know if they’ll kidnap me?” Spence sighed. “I made you buy that extra computer for a reason. That specific program I walked you through is untraceable. Nobody will be able to tell you’re using it. However, you’re pretty fucking famous, so I wouldn’t go around telling others what you found. Odds are someone could target you next.” Matt glanced around the room nervously. 

“Just don’t mention it to anyone else, and you’ll be fine.”Spence was quiet for a second. “I know this is some scary shit Matt, but you have to trust me. You do trust me, don’t you?”  
Matt nodded, even though Spence definitely couldn’t see him.”Of course I trust you, Spence.”

“Good,”Spence sounded relieved. “You should go talk to Syd or something, you sound stressed as all hell, which is understandable.” Matt nodded before turning off the monitor. He then returned his attention to Spence. Matt smiled. “See you later, man.”

He could practically hear the smile on Spence’s face. “See ya bro.” Matt nodded before handing up. He shoved his phone into his back pocket and exited the room. He needed to get his mind off this for a bit, though that would most likely be impossible. 

Exactly how does one ignore that their friend is tied up in some horrible warehouse with a bunch of burly dudes with guns? At least, that’s what Matt pictured happened anyway. He only had movies to go off of, give him a break. 

As he walked into the kitchen he heard a female voice. Syd. Matt smiled. If anyone could make him at least slightly happier, it was her.   
He walked up to Syd. She was currently at the stove, making omelettes. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. 

“Morning.” She giggled. “Morning,”I’m making omelettes for us. Don’t go saying that you already ate either. Cereal is not nutritional.” She scolded.

Matt chuckled. “Hey, I’m not complaining! More food!” Syd rolled her eyes. “You’re lucky I love you, otherwise I would have eaten these both just to spite you.” Matt fake gasped. “You monster.” His stomach dropped after using that word. It didn’t sound right to use anymore.   
Syd hummed. Matt smiled at her. She always found a way to make him feel better, even when she had no idea what crisis was going on. 

Matt smiled. “We should go out to dinner.”She turned to look at him.   
“Really? It’s been a while since our last date night.” He hugged her even tighter. “All the more reason to go out.”

“Alright,”Syd complied, “Where should we go?” Matt kissed her shoulder. “Anywhere you want to go.” She pondered is words. “We haven’t been to that fancy place in a while.”

Matt chuckled. “Alright, spaghetti it is then.” He needed this. A calm night with Syd would help clear his head, besides, they’ll be back way before the countdown is over.   
Or so he thought.


	3. 3

He’s never struggled trying to have fun.   
Matt continued to smile as Syd told another story. Apparently one of her friends had a mishap at a fashion show. He tried hard to listen to his girlfriend, but no matter how hard he tried, the image of Casey kept invading his thoughts. It wasn’t his fault. How the fuck do you get that out of your mind?

“Matt? Are you listening?” Syd asked, crossing her arms. Matt chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, of course.” Syd cocked an eyebrow. “Oh really? Repeat what I just said.”

Shit. Matt coughed. “Well you said she, tripped over the railing!”

“She ripped her skirt. Matt you haven’t heard a word I’ve said! I thought you wanted to spend time with me?” Syd’s eyes stared him down. 

Matt placed a hand over hers. “Syd, of course I want to spend time with you, there’s just a lot on my mind right now.”

Syd smirked. “I'm surprised there is anything going on in that head of yours.”She flicked his forehead.Matt gasped. “I feel so attacked right now.”

She giggled, making Matt smile. Syd’s laugh did wonders on his psyche. He’d spend all day with her if he could.   
Wait.  
All day-  
Casey.

Matt turned on his phone to check the time. It was 11:45, the sale didn’t end until midnight. Still, they should start heading back, just so he could be there in time. 

“Syd, I think we should turn in.” Matt yawned. “I’m kinda exhausted.”

Syd rolled her eyes playfully. “You’re so lazy, alright, let’s call the waiter over.” Matt looking around for the nearest waiter. He raised his hand up, signalling her to come over. “Are you both done here?” Her voice held a thick accent to it, so thick in fact that it sounded forced.

“Yes, could we get the check please?” The waitress nodded, letting her eyes linger on Matt for a bit. She winked at him before heading off in another direction. Matt glared at her. Can’t she see he’s on a date. Thankfully Syd didn’t notice. Matt turned back to Syd. “I had fun tonight, I really did.” His tone was completely sincere. Syd looked down, blushing. 

“I had fun too.” Her voice was softer. Matt chuckled. She’s adorable. He lifted her chin up with his finger, causing their eyes to meet. They both blushed lightly before leaning in-

The checkbook smacked onto the table top. Both of them jumped back, startled by the sudden noise. The waitress stopped to glare at Syd before smiling at Matt. “It’s $66.” She left.   
Matt groaned. “What a bitch.” Syd’s eyes widened. “Matt how could you say that?”

“Didn’t you see how she glared at you? It was just so rude.” He furiously scribbled his signature into the little book. He saw the tip area, and wrote down a stingy. Number. The woman would be dumb to think he was going to give her anything worthwhile after that. Matt threw the checkbook down and smiled at Syd. She narrowed her eyes. He better not cause a scene and get them kicked out of another restaurant. 

The waitress walked back, her eyes only on Matt. Just as she grabbed the check Matt pulled Syd’s face towards his, giving her a long passionate kiss. After they pulled away they noticed the girl’s sneer she briskly walked away with the checkbook. Matt smirked. He felt a light slap on the arm. 

“Hey, she had it coming.”Syd rolled her eyes, though she was smiling. The waitress came back handing Matt his credit card. “Have a good evening,”she hissed. Matt grinned whilst grabbing Syd’s wrist. 

“Will do!”They walked out, the woman’s eyes still on them. Once they entered their car Matt sighed. “Finally, I was about ready to fight.”

Syd rolled her eyes. “Should I be worried that you get in more chick fights than me?”

“Probably.” They both laughed. Matt started up the car, heading back towards their home. 

After driving in silence for a few minutes Syd spoke up again. “Hey have you heard from Casey recently?” His shoulders tensed up. Trying to calm himself down, he focused on his driving. 

“Matt?” Syd glared at him. “Matt have you talked to Casey?” Her eyes were practically bruning into his soul. Matt turned towards her.

“No, I haven’t spoken to him since yesterday, why?”

“I don’t know, I just have a feeling.” Syd trailed off, looking out the window. Matt wanted to tell her so bad. He trusted her so much. 

But he also trusted Spence, and Spence would never let Matt down. 

Matt snapped out of his thoughts as Syd shrieked. “Matt! There’s another car!” His eyes jerked to the road, where another vehicle had entered their land. It was heading straight towards them.   
Matt quickly turned out of the road and into the sidewalk. People jumped out of the way. The other car smacked into the back of theirs, shoving them forwards. They crashed into a thin pole that had been put there by the city for this exact emergency. After the car stopped Matt swung around to look at Syd. She had a scratch on her arm, but was otherwise fine. He observed his own injured, finding just a small cut above the eyebrow. 

“Matt,”Syd had tears streaming down her face. Matt took off his seatbelt and lunged at her, scooping her up into a big hug. Her tears soaked his sweater, but he didn’t care. Sirens filled the area around them as ambulances showed up. They went to their side to check if they were okay. Matt nodded, pointing to the other vehicle. 

It was in far worse condition. The entire front was destroyed, crushing into the driver’s seat. They pulled the driver out. It appeared to be a woman. One of the paramedics placed two fingers over her wrist, shaking his head. She was dead, just like they almost were. Matt hugged Syd even tighter.

Before they placed her in a body bag, Matt caught a glimpse of the woman. Her brown hair was all over, covering her mangles face, but Matt knew exactly who she was. He recognized the uniform. It was their waitress. 

Syd continued to sob into his shoulder as the sirens blared obnoxiously in the background. As others crowded around, taking pictures, Matt glanced at the clock on their car.   
12:01


	4. 4

One minute.   
One minute.   
Matt ran inside the house, Syd on his heels. After urging the paramedics to let them go, Matt had hailed the nearest cab. He was in such a hurry, and Syd had no idea why. 

“Matt?”She tried to get his attention, but he didn't show any signs of hearing her. As soon as she closed the door she realized he was no longer in the room. Sighing, she put her purse on the counter. 

Matt was acting, strange. However, they were just in a car accident, Syd could easily blame his abnormal behavior on that. She felt something lick her calf and looked down to see Jax. She smiled at him, giving him scratched behind the ears. Hopefully Matt wasn’t too shaken up about the whole ordeal. Perhaps he just needed some time to himself?

I mean,someone died.  
Syd felt a chill run up her spine. She was glad it wasn’t her and Matt, but that fact that someone was dead, that scared her. Sighing, she brushed a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. Maybe she should just drink some tea.

Matt bolted into the office and shut the door. He scrambled into his chair, getting back into the deep web. After a couple seconds he pulled the site up. Could there be a chance that Ryan was still available to buy? 

A black screen greeted his face, the words See you again in white against it. Matt’s entire body tensed. He was too late.   
Ryan was gone. 

His phone vibrated in his pocket, snapping him back to reality. Matt glanced at the na,e Spence. He slid his thumb across the screen. 

“Spence?” His voice shook with uncertainty. “Matt?” The sound of his voice sent shivers up Matt’s spine. “Dude! Where the fuck were you?”

Tears fell down Matt’s face as he spoke. “Spence, I’m so fucking sorry. Syd and I were in a car crash, and I didn’t get back in time, he’s gone.” Small hiccups broke through his sobs. 

“A car crash? Are you both okay?” Spence sounded genuinely concerned. “Yeah, but Spence, I wasn’t able to save Ryan.” Matt broke down again. 

“Actually, you did.”  
What?

Matt immediately stopped crying to zone in on Spence. “What are you talking about? I missed the fucking deadline!” Spence sighed. “I know, when I called you five minutes before the sale, you didn’t answer. I took matters into my own hands.” 

Matt raised an eyebrow. “Okay I don’t follow.” Silence on the other end. 

“Spence? What did you do?”

“I-hacked into your computer and completed the purchase for you.”

Matt nearly dropped his phone. “What the fuck! Spence how did you do that?”

“I told you to buy that computer because only I could hack into it and lead potential kidnappers away from you. When you didn’t answer I took matters into my own hands and bid the highest price. You’re going to buy Casey for 1.5 million dollars.”

Matt gawked at him. He had no idea Spencer was that good of a hacker. 

“Wait, how did you get my credit card information?”

Spence groaned. “Matt, you don’t give your credit card information to fucking kidnappers.” 

Matt mentally slapped himself for that one. “Okay then how did you pay for Ryan?”

“It’s a handoff deal. You’re going to meet them at a certain location and they will give you Ryan in exchange for the cash. Cash only. Also, you might want to wear a disguise. If they see the amazing Matt Martin they won’t hesitate to capture you.” Shivers ran down Matt’s back. 

“Okay,” he sighed, scratching the back of his neck. “I can wear an overcoat and cover up my face, I guess, but where and when is this taking place?” He heard Spence shuffling through some things on the other end of the ling. “4:30 behind a spaghetti place not far from you. They must’ve left New York when they took Casey, because there is no way they can travel from the country that fast.”

Matt ran a hand through his hair. “Shit, this is really happening. I’m about to fucking buy my friend from some psychotic people on the internet.” He groaned. 

“Hey, we’ll get through his” Spence tried to life his spirits. Matt smiled. 

“Thank’s Spence, I wouldn’t have been able to help if it weren’t for you.”

“What are friends for?”Spence said. “Go get the cash, I won’t be able to talk to you when you make the deal, so you’ll be on your own. Be careful, and don’t say anymore than you have to.”

Matt frowned. “Okay? Won’t I look more suspicious if I’m silent?” Although he trusted Spence, he was a little confused as to what not speaking would help with. “Trust me, it’ll work out like that. I’m going to hang up, I have some crap I gotta do tonight. Call me when you have Ryan and I’ll tell you what to do.”

Matt nodded. “Alright, thanks again Spence.”

“No problem, speak to you in a few hours.” He hung up, leaving Matt in the silence of the room. Over a million dollars in cash? Within the next three house? How the hell was he supposed to manage that?

Matt grabbed his credit card and jacket, walking out of the room. He was going to stop at the nearest ATM. Although it’ll look suspicious later on, he wasn’t worried about that at the moment. What matters now is that he gets Casey back.   
Matt decided to check on Syd in case she would freak out in his absence. He saw her passed out on the couch, empty mug in hand with the pugs at her side. He smiled softly to himself and walked over to her. He kissed her forehead, receiving no response. Good, she needed rest. 

Matt walked out of the room and towards the front door. He opened it, getting a fresh breath of night air. He shut the door behind him, heading towards the nearest ATM. “Don’t worry Casey.” He whispered. “You’ll be safe soon.”

Matt brushed past someone, not fully paying attention to who it was. If he had known their identity, he would’ve stopped. However he didn’t know who it was, so he kept going.   
If he had stopped to look, an entire different set of events would’ve happened.   
But he didn’t stop.   
So here we are.


	5. 5

Matt swung the duffle bag back and forth, humming some unknown tune. He didn’t exactly remember what song it was, but as long as it pushed his anxiety down he didn’t care.   
The chilled air nipped at his skin as Matt walked down the street. There weren't any people around, though it was three in the morning. Anyone who thought it was a good idea to be out this late was obviously crazy. 

I guess Matt was borderline insane. 

A small breeze blew by, sending shivers up his spine. The jacket isn't thick enough to shield himself from the cold, though it did at least keep others from realizing who he truly was. You’d have to glance at him a second time to realize it was Matt Martin. Combined with the long scarf and beanie, you couldn’t even tell it was him. 

Good thing too. If what Spence has said about these kidnappers was true, they wouldn’t hesitate to nab Matt as well. 

He kept walking down the street, silently wishing he had taken his car a few more blocks. He parked it a while ago, just in case the kidnappers had some weird tracking shit they could plant on it. 

The spaghetti restaurant came into view, and Matt took a step back. It was the same place he had dined earlier with Syd. Talk about a coincidence. 

He glanced down each road, seeing no one. “Alright, moment of truth.” 

He took a deep breath and then walked down the alley. 

The further he went the darker it became. There was literally no one around. The atmosphere was, eerie. In any other circumstance Matt would’ve been thrilled for a good scare. The constant fear that his friend may be no more, however, he could live without.

After a few seconds Matt reached the end of the alley. There was no Casey, just an old brick wall. Did he miss it? Was Ryan actually somewhere else?

“So, you must be the buyer?”

Matt’s entire body tensed. He didn’t recognize the voice, but he knew damn well that it belonged to the sicko who had Casey. Turning around, he expected some sort of tall, brooding, mafia goon. You could imagine his surprise upon seeing a man of average height in a fall jacket similar to his own. 

The man couldn’t have been older than thirty. He had a slight tan, and blonde hair. His brown eyes seemed to hold an undying warmth. If Matt had met his guy in the streets before this he would’ve thought him to be just an extremely good-looking man. 

But he knew better. 

Somewhere in that cheesy smile he could sense the psycho. This was undoubtedly the guy who took Casey. The man smirked. “Aw,c’mon, I like to get to know my customers.”

Matt remembered Spence’s advice and stayed silent. 

The man shrugged his shoulders. “Fine, as long as you have the cash you don’t have to socialize with me. Still, I’d prefer it.” His accent was American. Matt will have to give Spence the description after he gets back. 

If he gets back. 

“Now, I know this may seem a little exciting to you. You are buying a famous hockey player after all. However, this still has to be professional. You bid 1.5 million?”He held his hand out, waiting. 

Matt shrugged the duffle bag off his shoulder and into his hand. He then held it out towards the man. THe man’s brown eyes drifted down to the bag and then back up to Matt. His look read are you kidding me?

“Okay, first off, you suck at deals. You didn’t try to haggle me, and you tried to hand the money off without even checking to see if I actually have the guy.” Matt felt himself blush, and was once again grateful for his big scarf. 

The man smirked. “I guess this means you already have such a high trust in me. That’s awesome, we’re establishing a strong relationship. Who knows? Maybe in the future I’ll offer you a deal on some other hockey hunk.” He winked at Matt, making him want to puke. 

The man turned behind and yelled out. “Hey! It’s the buyer, bring our guy!” Matt tried to his his anticipation as a burly man walked into the alley holding someone. THis someone had a sack over his head. The good looked at who was supposedly his boss for reassurance. THe man nodded, and the sack was ripped off. 

Any hope that this was all a fucked up prank left Mett as soon as he saw Casey’s face.  
His left eye was swollen, and blood caked along the side of his head. There was some bruising, almost like he was hit with a blunt object. It took every ounce of willpower for Matt not to run straight over and kick this guys ass for hurting Casey. 

“So as you can see, our cub was a little rebellious. We had to discipline him a bit. No permanent damage though!” His sickly sweet voice made Matt want to vomit and scream all at once. 

“Well, just give me the cash and this prize is all yours.” He held out his hand. Matt gave him the money, running towards Casey. The goon handed him over sloppily, nearly dropping him on his head. Matt gingerly took him in his arms, suddenly regretting not bringing a car. THe man smiled. 

“Well pleasure doing business with you. Oh, and you you give the police my information, you will surely be dead by daylight.” He smiled, waving like some pageant girl. Matt stood still until they had left the alley and were far away. 

Then he collapsed to his knees, scrambling to grab his phone. He quickly dialed Spence, awaiting his soothing voice to calm his rapid nerves. 

He curled his fingers through Casey’s hair, tears pricking his eyes. Why wasn’t he awake? Spence picked up. “Matt? Is Casey with you?”

“Spence, he’s not moving.”Matt started trembling as more tears stained his cheeks. “I don’t know what to do ,Spence, what do I do?” He shut his eyes and broke down, pressing his forehead against Casey’s. 

“Okay, breathe Matt. Most likely Casey is drugged. He won’t wake up for another hour or so. I don’t want you to take him back to you house. If this guy. Is tailing you he’ll realize who you are and attack. Do you have your car?”

Matt nodded, “Yeah.” Spence spoke again. “Good, take Casey to a motel. This guy will think you’re torturing him or some shit and leave. Take Casey and put him in the car.”  
“I don’t know Spence, this is fucking insane.”Matt brushed the back of his hand across his eyes. His breathing had become irregular.

“Matt, you trust me, right?” Matt glanced down at Casey, who was still motionless. 

“Yeah, I trust you.”

“Good, I’m going to talk you through this. Don’t worry Matt, Casey will be okay.”


	6. 6

The car swerved around the curve, nearly throwing itself off the road. Somehow it still managed to keep its path, not veering into any objects. The man inside was having a little trouble keeping his attention on the road due to his unconscious friend lying across the back seats. He brushed some of the brown strands of hair out of his eyes and glanced back down at his phone, which was on speaker. 

“Alright Matt, take a left up here.” Spence’s voice held its usual calm tone, which was good. Matt definitely needed his chill friend. He sharply turned the wheel, leaving skid marks in the road. He cringed. That sound could be heard for miles. If someone was tracking him, he wasn’t going to have a difficult job. 

“Dude, how fucking fast did you turn?” 

“Where next?” Matt ignored his question. “Right, but Matt you should calm down before-“ The car leaned hard to the left at Matt sharply turned the corner. His phone flew off the dash and onto the floor.Casey, still unconscious, rolled off the seats. Matt cursed and stopped the car.

He turned around in his seat to look over at Casey. Besides the wounds that were already on him when he arrived, Casey looked okay. Matt had to be sure though. 

He gently lifted Casey’s face off the floor. His eyes widened in horror when he saw the blood around his nose. Suddenly, Casey’s body jerked upwards. He coughed, spraying blood across Matt’s face.

He didn’t dare move. 

“Matt? What happened? Did you crash?”Spence asked. Matt sat still, his mind only focused on the blood. Everything else was white noise to him. 

“Matt? Dude you better fucking answer.”  
Casey coughed again, spewing more blood onto the car. There was some type of fucking internal injury. They must’ve caused some internal bleeding. Matt exhaled heavily and turned around to the front of the car. Nobody else was out on the streets. They had left the main roads a while ago, only trees surrounded them now. 

“Spence?”Matt struggled to keep his voice steady. 

“Shit! You gave me a fucking heart attack!”Spence’s usually calm demeanor had snapped into a hectic one. Matt shrunk in his seat. “Spence I don’t know if I can do this.”

“What? Matt! We just saved Casey, I thought you would be happy.”

“Happy? He’s beaten and bleeding in the back seat. Why the fuck would I be happy about that?”

“That’s not what I meant-“

“Not only that, but now I apparently have to hide him in some remote motel? I’m going to have to sit at home and be silent while Kristy cries her eyes out. On top of that, I am lying to Syd. I can’t tell the woman I love this horrible thing that could possibly hurt her at some point. Do you even know how stressful this is Spence? How the fuck can i be happy during all of this?”

Matt sat back in his chair, arms crossed. Spence stayed silent on the other end. Wait, did he just yell at Spence?

Matt smacked his hand against his forehead. He just scolded Spence for trying to help him. Who could blame him? With all the shit going on he was bound to snap. Still, that didn’t excuse his scolding. 

“I’m sorry, this is just, really fucking crazy.” Matt ran a hand through his hair, glancing down at the cell phone. “I understand, just get to the motel so we can sort this out.” Matt nodded, pulling the car back into the road. After traveling down the road for a few minutes, a big sign caught his eye. Cozy Cone, what were they big fans of pixar?

Matt parked the car underneath the sign. The ‘e’ at the end of the sign wasn’t on, so it read Cozy Con. Matt looked down at his phone. Spence was still on call. “Alright, so I want you to go up to the front desk. A girl will ask you for a room number. I want you to say 25, okay?”

Matt sighed. 

“Okay, I’ll call you after.”He hung up and walked inside. 

The room was small, and old. A musty scent filled the room, and Matt was immediately reminded of every horror movie ever. THe audience would usually be screaming at the protagonist for walking into sucha. Remote place, however Spence told him that was safe. Whether or not his gut told him to run, Matt trusted Spence. 

He saw the girl sitting at the front desk. Not much was noticeable about her other than a strand of blue amongst her brown locks of hair. She was texting furiously on her phone, not even noticing Matt yet. 

“Hey?” Matt smiled at the girl. She looked up with an annoyed expression. “Room?”

That voice. Matt grinned, crossing his arms. It had to be her. “Room 25.” The girl smirked, setting her phone on the table. “Welcome to the Cozy Con, Matt.”Said-Canadian smiled. “Glad to be here,Hillary.”

Hilary brushed the blue strands behind her ear whilst letting her eyes scale Matt. 

“Well Spence wouldn’t expose me and my location to you unless it was important. So what happened? Did a fan go over the top and break into your house?” She crossed her arms while cocking an eyebrow. Matt sighed. “I wish, it’s actually Casey.”

Hilary;s smile dropped instantly. “Casey?What? Where is he?”Matt scratched the back of his neck and gestured outside. “It’s better if I show you.” Hilary followed him outside the door and towards his car. He swung open the door, revealing Casey’s battered body. 

Hillary threw a hand over her mouth, eyes scanning each and every blemish. “Fucking hell..”She turned to Matt. 

“We need to get him inside, now.” Matt nodded, gently dragging Casey out. Hillary grabbed his legs and together they carried him inside. 

Hilary led them behind the front desk and towards a door marked Janitorial. On the other side was a bomb shelter-type room. The walls were made of some kind of steel, and besides the bed and med-kit, nothing else was inside the room.. They set Casey on the bed. Matt watched as Hilary rummaged through the first-aid. 

“So , what is this?” Hillary looked up from the kit in confusion. “What is what?”

“This!” Matt gestured to the whole room. “This shelter thing, the motel itself! What is going on?” He threw up his arms. Hilary chuckled a little before turning back to start patching up Casey.

“This place is a little refuge. I’ve only run it for a few months, but I use it to help others. Some people really need help, but can’t turn to authorities like the police. That’s when I come in. I gave them a safe place that isn’t on the map and can easily be overlooked. Just last week this girl came in with her little brother. She was only 16 and had taken him away from their abusive mother. I sheltered them until she was able to contact their father, whom they haven’t seen in years. Technically he couldn’t legally take them, but I said fuck it. He’ll take far better care of those kids than that ass of a mom.” She continued to dab at the blood around Casey’s nose with a towel. 

Matt looked down at Casey. Hillary had done really well in only a couple minutes. His face was mostly clean, which made the small cuts easier to see and diagnose. Maybe he’d be okay sooner than he thought-

Casey lurched to the side and coughed up more blood. Maybe not. Hillary furrowed her eyebrows while concentrating on cleaning Casey. “He’s definitely going to have to stay here. You can come check on him tomorrow.”

Matt gaped at Hillary.”Leave Ryan here? What if those kidnappers come back for him?”Hillary rolled her eyes. 

“I’m not going to give away Casey’s location to anyone. Even if someone did leak out our whereabouts, this room can be locked only from the inside. The door is steel, nobody’s getting in.” Her gaze softened. “I’ll protect him Matt, just go home.”

Sighing, Matt ran a hand through his brown hair. 

“Okay, but if anything goes wrong please call me. Hillary nodded. 

“Of course, now please go get some rest, this must have been a long day.”

She continued to bandage Casey. Matt walked out of the room, then out of the motel. Once he was in his car he pulled out his cell. He dialed Spence’s number.

“Casey’s gonna be alright, Hillary is going to fix him up.”

“I know, she’s Hillary. Matt there’s something I have to tell you.”

Matt rolled his eyes. “What? To relax? I already got the whole speech from Hillary. 

“No, actually quite the opposite. I need you to alert Matt, because there’s another player on the site.” Matt felt the hair stand on the back of his neck. “Who is it?”

Spence sighed. “Kasperi Kapanen.”


	7. 7

Syd slowly opened her eyes. She was sprawled across the couch, Jax snuggled up next to her. The room was dark, and the window displayed the night sky. What time was it?  
Syd snatched her phone up from the coffee table and turned it on. 4:30am? What the heck caused her to wake up so early? 

She sighed. No going back now. She decided to browse through her phone and see what was new on twitter. She retweeted some pictures of her and Matt, while also posting some articles she wrote. She smiled. The fans supported them so much. 

Her phone vibrated as a generic ringtone played. Someone was calling her. She glanced at the called ID. Unknown. Syd shrugged and accepted the call. She was safe here anyway. 

“Hello?” She asked. 

“Sydney? Thank god! Is Kappy with you?” She recognized the voice immediately. It was William Nylander. Wait, at four thirty in the morning?

“Willy? What are you doing up so early? No, Kappy isn’t with us. Why? Did something happen?” Syd questioned. She knew Kappy had a habit of getting lost every now and then, but Willy sounded urgent.

“Fuck! I thought for sure he would be-fuck! Kappy is missing. I’ve texted him dozens of times and he hasn’t replied once.” Willy spoke rapidly with short intakes of breath. It’s almost like he was hyperventilating. 

“Willy, calm down, Kappy will show up. He always talks about the random situations he gets into, maybe he got into another. I’m sure he’ll be home soon with a delightfully odd tale to share.”Syd narrowed her eyes. “Wait, how long was he gone?”

“I don’t know, he was here when I fell asleep, but when I woke up he was gone.”

“Willy!” Syd rolled her eyes. “Kappy might have gone to the store or something. You’re worried over nothing.”

“I don’t know Syd, I checked his room before I left. All his clothes are still there, along with his wallet. Where in the world would he go with just his pajamas on?”

Willy was worried, that much was clear. Even though it was likely Kappy was okay, Willy knew Kappy. If he thought that something had happened, then something had happened.  
Syd bit her lip. “Okay that is odd, even for Kappy. Come to our place, Matt and I can help you find him.”

“Thank you! I’ll be there in a few minutes!” He hung up. Syd sighed, getting off the couch. Best to wake Matt up now so he could get all his crankiness out. She walked into their bedroom and turned on the lights. She cocked an eyebrow. Nobody was there. 

She remembered a few instances when she found him asleep at the desk, so perhaps he was in the office? She trudged over to the office, slowly opening the door. Nothing. Where was he?  
The doorbell rang, and Syd groaned. Hopefully Matt didn’t fall asleep somewhere   
uncomfortable, because she really didn’t want to give him a massage when he woke up.

She opened the door to see a tear-streaked Willy. Immediately a motherly instinct took over and she wrapped her arms around him. Though there was a very large height difference, he somehow managed to bury his face in her shoulder. 

After a few moments they pulled apart. Willy rubbed his eyes. “Sorry.” Syd smiled.   
“No need to be sorry, you’re just really worried, that’s all.” She grabbed his hand and led him towards the kitchen table. She pointed at a seat.

“Sit, I’m making some more tea.” He opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off. 

“No objections!”She chirped. 

As she got out a pot and a couple of mugs she hear the door open. Both Willy and her looked to see Matt walk inside. His eyes widened at the sight of them both. All three of them stayed silent, staring at each other. 

“Um, Matt?” Syd questioned. “Did you leave last night?” Matt ran a hand through his hair,a nervous tick.

“Yeah, couldn’t sleep. I just came from a drive.” He smiled at Willy. “What brings this rookie into our humble abode?”

Willy looked at the table. “‘Well, it’s Kappy, I can’t find him anywhere.” Matt tensed slightly.

Willy didn’t notice, but it was like a bright red flag for Syd. “Oh? He probably just couldn’t sleep, like me. I’m sure he’ll be back soon.” Willy chuckled. “Syd said the same thing, maybe I should head back.” He started to get up. 

“Now don’t go off in a rush, besides it’s been a bit since you’ve last seen us. Just chill for a bit.” Matt smiled, placing a hand on Willy’s shoulder.  
He grinned back and sat down. Syd went back to making the tea, still uneasy about the whole situation. As the other two conversed she delved into her thoughts. 

Whenever Matt can’t sleep he watches hockey, or skypes some of his friends, he’s never gone out for a drive. Why would he do so now? Unless..she gripped the teapot harder.   
He lied. 

She glanced back at Matt and Willy, hearing them chatter about NHL 18. Willy looked much happier than before, which relieved her. Matt, however, seemed off. Although he was laughing and smiling, it didn’t seem real. It’s almost like he had something else on his mind, something disturbing. 

Syd rolled her eyes. She was overthinking this, Matt most likely was just tired of being cooped up and wanted to go outside. His uneasiness was probably linked to Ryan’s disappearance yesterday. Yeah, that had to be it. Two hockey players seemed to be gone within hours of each other. That’s a scary thought.

Another thought popped into Syd’s head. What if Matt knew where they were? That’s it! He planned some publicity stunt with them to shake things up. That asshole! Syd glared at Matt, who was too engrossed in his conversation to notice. Damn Matt, scaring her like that. 

Syd plopped two mugs on the table. Both men thanked her and sipped them. She grinned and raised the mug to her lips. She got worried for nothing, obviously this was just a stunt, nobody was going to get hurt.


	8. 8

Matt sighed as Willy and Syd continued to talk about Australia. Within mere minutes she had already planned a trip for them. He smiled and nodded alone, trying not to give away what he knew. Matt felt so bad for Willy, once he gets Kappy back he’s going to bring him straight over, he doesn’t care what Spence says. Nothing is worse than not knowing if your loved ones are safe. 

Matt glanced at the clock. It was now 6:15, and the streets were slowly growing busier. Willy noticed as well and sighed. “ I should probably start heading back before it gets any worse. 

Thank you both for calming me down. I’ll call you when Kappy gets back.” He stood up and hugged Syd, then Matt. He really, really felt guilt when he saw the hope in Willy’s eyes. He’s going to be crushed when Kappy doesn’t show. 

Once Willy was out of the house Syd glared at Matt. He raised an eyebrow. 

“What?” Syd rolled her eyes. “Oh come on, you know!” Matt narrowed his eyes. “What?”  
“You know where Kappy and Ryan are!” She smiled and took another sip of tea. Matt gaped. 

How did Syd find out?” You-I swear Syd I would’ve told you but I-“

“I know, I know, you thought I would’ve blabbed about your little publicity stunt.” Syd rolled her eyes. “I’m actually really good at keeping secrets Matt! Just so you know, Willy is going to be super pissed you didn't let him in on the gag, or did you? If so, he is an astounding actor!”

Matt stared at her in confusion until it clicked. She thought it was a publicity stunt, she didn’t know anything about the deep web. Matt forced a smile. He has to play along so he can keep her suspicions low.

“Damn, how are you so smart?” Syd giggled. “‘It was obvious, you were acting so strange today, and then it clicked that you were exactly like that with Casey. You knew!” She said triumphantly. 

Matt felt his phone vibrate. He only had notifications for Spence at this point, not really wanting to focus on anything besides helping his friends. He gave Syd an apologetic glance. She waved him off. 

“Go on, more tea for me.” Matt thanked her and walked off to his office. After shutting the door he answered. 

“Spence? What’s the news on Kappy?” He walked over to his computer and got back into the deep web. WIthin seconds the site was up, but this time with two pictures instead of one. They hadn’t loaded yet, but Matt already had questions. 

“Why are there two pictures now?” Spence spoke after a moment of silence. “They took someone else along with Kasperi.” Matt tightened his grip on the phone. It couldn’t be Willy, he saw him only a few seconds ago. 

“Who are they?” The pictures finally loaded on the screen, and Matt felt his stomach drop. 

The top picture displayed Kasperi Kapanen, gagged and staring at the camera with wide eyes. The bottom was a certain American with the famous fivehead. 

Auston Matthews. 

Matt trembles as he stared at the two. Auston was obviously awake in the picture, his eyes glued to the camera and a muffled scream in his throat. They didn’t seem as physically damaged as Casey was, so Matt thought they must have used the money he gave them for Casey to improve their methods. It made him sick to his stomach that these psychos used his money to kidnap even more people. 

“There is no way that they made it to Arizona in time to snag Auston as well.” Matt shook his head while staring at the photos. It was impossible for anyone to get from Toronto to Arizona in less than three hours. 

Spence spoke up. “Well, did you see Auston’s more recent pictures?” Matt narrowed his eyes. 

“No.” Spence sighed. “He had just gotten off a plane last night. He was going to a charity event. Those kidnappers must’ve known that he was in the area. You know they wouldn't pass up a chance like that.”

Matt groaned, running a hand through his hair. “Fuck. How do I manage getting them both? They’re going to be really suspicious if I show up again. I don’t think that disguise will work much longer.”

Spence pondered this for a moment. “You won’t have to, I have an idea.”Matt scoffed. 

“Really? What is your plan?”

“Hillary and Meghan can go instead.”

Matt slammed a hand on his desk. “Are you fucking nuts? Why would you risk them getting kidnapped as well?”

“Matt, if they recognized you they would use every ounce of power they had to capture you as well. Hilary and Meghan are faceless. Sure, they might remember hearing their voices, but as long as they refrain from speaking they’re okay.” Spence did make a good point.

Still, Matt just couldn’t shake the guilt of sending those two straight towards these very malicious men.. 

“Look, it’s our best option. I’m going to send Hillary a message and you can head over there.” Matt tilted his head. “Wait, if I’m not needed for the exchange then why should I go?”

“For Casey. Hillary said he’s awake now but very tired. He can’t be left alone.” Matt looked towards the door, already envisioning Syd’s annoyed look. 

“Okay, tell her I’ll be there in a half hour. Bye Spence.” He shut off the computer. This entire situation is getting more complex. Matt didn’t know how much longer he could keep this up. He walked out of the room, expecting to see an angry blonde woman glaring at him. Instead he saw a pink sticky note on the fridge. 

Matt-  
I’ll be back soon, I just realized that we’re running low on tea, alone with most of our food. If you’re starving, get a pizza and don’t try go eat Jax.  
-Syd. 

Matt chuckled. Well that was easy. He grabbed his duffel bag again, most likely going to have to take some more cash out for the exchange. Hopefully not much, because even he has limits. Matt wrote down a couple prices to talk over with Spence in the car. On the way he bumped into someone. He turned around to help the stranger off the sidewalk. “Sorry bro, wasn’t looking where I was going.”

The stranger grabbed his hand, pulling himself up. Matt smiled at him apologetically, although he couldn’t see any noticeable features under the grey hoodie he was wearing. Even though he didn’t have the ability to see his face, Matt could hear him chuckle. 

“No problem, it’s easy to not notice things that are obviously in front of you.” Matt’s smile dropped and the man went on his way. 

Matt suddenly felt vulnerable, as if all eyes were on him. He glanced around, but nobody was looking. 

This whole thing is making me nuts. Matt gripped the duffel bag tightly and walked into his car.


	9. 9

Matt hugged the duffel bag tightly to his chest. His financial advisor was going to have a long conversation with him about the wisdom of taking 3 million dollars out of his bank account.   
In the end he had no choice. Compared to losing his friends, what’s the value of a couple million?

He was standing outside of the motel, bracing himself for whatever condition Casey was in. Spence had told him that although he was tired, there wasn’t any permanent damage done to him. Good, Matt would never forgive himself if there was. 

He opened the door and saw Hilary along with a girl with blonde hair. He safely assumed it was Meghan and lugged the back over to the front desk. It was super fucking heavy compared to last time. 

Hillary opened it, skimming the bills. “Look at you big bucks, seriously you are loaded.” Matt sighed. “I don’t think I can pull any more money after this, we need another plan.”

Meghan raised an eyebrow.”Spence didn’t tell you?” Matt narrowed his eyes. “Tell me what?”  
“That I can hack into the actual site.” Spence’s voice boomed around the room, causing Matt to jump. His eyes quickly scanned the room to find that the source of his heart attack was a speaker in the corner of a wall. Spence’s. Voice filled the room again. 

“When I hacked into your computer to purchase Casey, I realized they had a fault in their system. I was able to go through the site and into their computers. With a little more time,, I could go through their files and find out who these fuckers are. Matt, I can expose them and stop this from going any further.”

Matt smiled, lifting his speaker towards the speaker overhead. “Spence, I believe that warrants for a fistbump.” Spence laughed and there was a small thumb that sounded from the speaker. 

Hillary rolled her eyes, grabbing the duffel bag. “Alright Matt, Casey’s in the same place as before. If it isn’t too much trouble, could you try to get him to tell you what happened? For some reason he won’t talk to me about it.” She walked out the door with Meghan. Matt sighed and turned back towards the other room. He walked inside. 

Casey was on his back, staring at the ceiling with glossy eyes. Matt cleared his throat, drawing his attention towards him. “Matt?” His voice was so frail. 

Matt forced a smile. “Yeah, it’s me Casey.” He sat down on the edge of the bed, scanning over his injuries. Physically nothing was alarming, but Matt knew that emotionally something was off. He took Casey’s hand in his, gripping it firmly. 

“Casey, I’m so sorry.” He watched as Casey’s eyes watered even more. “You have nothing to be sorry for, those fuckers are twisted.” Casey’s eyes bore into Matt’s. “No one deserves to go through what I just did.”

Matt scratched the back of his neck. “Actually, what did they do?” Casey looked off into the distance, like he was reliving the whole ordeal. 

“They took me from the deli. One second I had found my phone, the next I’m being hit upside the head with a blunt object. When I finally did wake up I was in some fucked up looking horror movie scene. They had me tied inside a cage like I was some vicious animal. Then this guy came out. I couldn’t see his face and he wouldn’t utter a word. He ran his fucking hand through my hair and giggled. He fucking giggled Matt. After that some burly dude put a rag against my mouth, and then I woke up here.”

At some point in the conversation Casey had managed to tighten his grip on Matt’s hand. It’s almost like he was afraid of getting pulled back into that scene. It wouldn’t be surprising if he was. 

Casey looked Matt dead in the eye. “You have to call the police.”

Matt furrowed his eyebrows. “What? Did Hillary not tell you? We can’t until after Spence’s done-“

“Spence isn’t going to hack into those guy’s computer. I know he’s smart, but these people are ruthless. If Spence messes up and gets caught in anyway it’s all of us.” Casey pushed himself up into a sitting position, ignoring Matt’s protests. 

“Matt, I know you trust Spence, hell, so do I, but we have to bring the authorities into this. They’re not all racist assholes like the news portrays them, most of them actually have skills. They probably have some white-hat hacker who can get into the database undetected.”

Matt bit his lip. “Casey, I trust Spence, I mean if it weren’t for him I wouldn’t have been able to save you.”

Casey groaned. “Matt, did you ever wonder how Spence knew all this shit? What the fuck is he doing in the deep web? In order to know as much as he does you’d have to spend hours upon hours there. What exactly was he doing?”

“Casey,I get that you’re suspicious of everyone after being kidnapped, but cut it out. Spence would never do anything to endanger us, nor Hillary and Meghan.”Matt stood up. “I’m going to call Spence and see how they’re doing, just rest in here.” He started to walk out the door. 

“Matt, no matter how close you are to Spence, even you have to question this.” Matt stopped for a second, and then continued. 

After he was out of the room he sighed in relief. Casey was emotional and probably just really paranoid right now, it’s nothing to overthink. Still, he had a point. 

It had crossed Matt’s mind a few times about Spence’s activities on the deep web. At first he just assumed that maybe one of his friends was a druggie and knew how to navigate through it easily. Maybe Spence used to work in cyber security and just had a bunch of unused knowledge. 

Or maybe he was hiding something far more sinister. 

Matt immediately shoved the thought away. This is Spence, a long-time friend. There was no way he could hurt them. 

Mall pulled out his phone and dialed Spence’s number, ready to see if Auston and Kappy were okay.


	10. 10

Auston yelled as yet another player shot and killed him. COD was impossible. He just declared it so.   
He rubbed his face, not even wanting to be awake right now. His flight left in a couple hours anyway, so it would be way too nerve wracking to try and get some sleep.   
Auston stretched and grabbed his pre-packed bag. If he left now, judging by usual Scottsdale traffic, and the excessively packed airports, he would arrive just in time. Before he was about to leave he felt his phone vibrate. Auston looked at the name and was delighted to find it was Mitch. Even though they are in the offseason and don’t play together right now, he still texted the Canadian energy ball every other day. As he waited for his cab he texted him.   
Mitch: Wish u luck on the flight, maybe u won’t die this time  
Auston: as if i’ve died on a flight before?  
Mitch: prob, how else could someone come back and hit someone with the four like that? It’s out of this world, bro.  
Auston: so what you’re saying is I died, and was resurrected to score four times in my first nhl game?  
Mitch: yep.   
Auston shook his head. This guy… The cab driver honked his horn, finally getting Auston’s attention. He snapped out of it and quickly clambered into the car. He smiled at the driver. “Airport please!” And he was on his way  
—  
Once he exited the airport Auston got a fresh breath of very cold air. Toronto was such a beautiful and cold and interesting and cold and cultural and cold place. 

Most people could tell from the many sweaters that Auston was indeed from Arizona.

Auston scrolled through his cell phone again to check up on any missed texts. One from his mom checking to make sure he was okay, one from Mitch, and one from an unknown number. Auston shrugged and shoved his phone into his back pocket, not reading any of them. Right now he was hungry, and that meant food came first. 

Auston made his way through the bustling streets, stopping once or twice for photos. He eventually made it to a cute little coffee shop that wasn’t overly crowded. It was tiny and peaceful, not normally his life, but a nice change to it. 

Auston stepped inside and was hit with the aroma of roasted coffee beans and cheesecake. His mouth was watering even as he ordered. Once they gave him his food he sat down at a random table furthest from the window, so as to avoid onlookers from seeing him as he sipped on the coffee he read his texts. 

Mom: Did you land safely?  
Auston:yep, I’m all good.   
Mitch: Austoooooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn, answer me I’m bored.   
Auston: i cant believe u can somehow be even more needy than u r when we’re playing hockey  
Mitch: shut up. I thought u died.i also might have a bit of a surprise.   
Auston:touching, what is it?  
Mitch: well if i tell u it’s not surprise dumbass

Auston looked down and tried to hide his smile. He was about to reply to Mitch when the unknown number broke into his thoughts. He should probably read it just in case another friend of his had gotten a new number. 

He opened the text up and read the message as he took a bite of cheesecake. 

Unknown:Don’t eat the food

Auston narrowed his eyes and set his used fork down. Someone knew what he was doing. Someone was watching him. He glanced around the cafe, only to see it was completely empty. When the fuck did that happen?

Just then Auston’s vision swirled, blackness at the edge of his sight. He stood up to try and run, only to fall straight onto his face. Auston grabbed his phone and tried to call someone, anyone. A food came into his view anc kicked the phone away. Auston reached out feebly for it, but even he knew it was no use. The room faded into complete darkness as he felt his consciousness slipping away.   
—  
He woke up slowly. Everything was dark, and he had no idea where he was. Two voices were speaking around him, though it sounded muffled. He tried to move only for his head to hit something hard. He groaned, drawing the attention of the two voices. 

“Well, looks like sleeping beauty is awake.” One voice,a man, said. 

“He is a looker, good thing the boss knew not to harm his pretty face, he’ll definitely sell more now.” This time a woman was speaking. Wait! Did she say sell?

Suddenly the lights wet on, hurting Auston’s eyes. He tried to raise a hand to shield them only to see they were tied behind his back. He was in a cage, which is most likely what he hit his head on trying to stand. 

Two people stood in front of him. They were both clothes in black sweats with hoods, which made it impossible to see their faces. Auston hoped dearly that they were Syd and Matt pulling a prank on him. He wouldn’t even be mad, just as long as this wasn’t an actual abduction. 

The girl spoke again, in a voice that was very must not Syd’s. “Is boss done with that boy yet?” The man shook his head. “No, but I think he’ll be bringing him in any second now.” 

As if on cue the doors behind the two swung open. Two men came in, one was a burly guy holding someone in his arms, the other was a cleaner-looking fellow with nice hair. The scarier one tossed the person he was holding into the cage next to Auston’s. His stomach dropped when he realized it was Kappy. 

The hooded-guy spoke up again “Where’s the boss?” The nice-looking guy smiled. “He’ll be here shortly, he wants to get a chance to eye them both up before we exchange them.”

Auston glanced over at Kappy. His eyes were wide and terrified, which made Auston think that whoever the boss was he wasn’t going to be pretty. The hooded-girl placed two fingers around where her ear would be, nodding. She looked back at the others. 

“Change of plans, boss wants them transported ASAP, he isn’t going to be coming with us. So you get to be our organization's face again Eddie.” The good-looking one smiled. “My pleasure!” He looked straight at Auston and walked toward his cage. Auston tried to push himself as far back as possible, which wasn’t much with the given space. 

Eddie bent forward and gave a toothy grin. It didn’t look kind anymore, he looked insane. “Someone’s going to make a nice pet out of you.” Auston jumped as he felt somebody pull a needle out. Within seconds he black out again.   
—  
Auston woke up to a rumbling noise, like the start of an engine. He was strapped in a car, ropes around his wrists. He shifted his gaze towards the front of the car, where two random girls sat. The one driving glanced at him through the rearview mirror, then back at the road. Auston looked to his left and saw Kappy staring at him with wide eyes. He must’ve woken up before him.

This was way too far to be a prank.This was real. Auston Matthews and Kasperi Kapanen have been abducted and sold to two random people who are going to do God knows what with them. 

Auston would’ve rather gotten checked through the glass by Tom Wilson than for this to happen. 

Suddenly the car stopped. The two girls exchanged a look and opened their doors. Kappy buried his face in his knees with Auston immediately tried to lurch forward. Both of the back doors swung open and the two girls grabbed each of them. Kappy tried to kick the girl away, but she held him tightly. Even though there was a massive height difference, she somehow managed to pull Kappy out of the car with minimum effort.   
The girl on Auston’s side, the driver, grabbed him roughly by the legs. Auston kicked and managed to her her in the face. She stumbled back and Auston took this as his chance to run. He really didn’t want to leave Kappy behind, but maybe he could get help. He ran off towards a random direction, only to be tackled onto the ground. Cold steel pressed against his neck, and Auston froze. The girl dragged him upwards, still holding the knife across his neck, and forced him to walk inside the motel. This was it, he was going to die today. 

A door swung open and Auston’s eyes widened as Marty came running out with a huge smile on his face. The girl cut off the ropes on both his and Kappy’s wrists, chuckling softly to herself. Auston glared at Marty. 

“What the hell kind of prank is that?”


	11. 11

Matt felt his smile fade. Auston looked pissed off as all hell, and he’s never seen Kappy look so, broken. Did Hillary not explain the situation?

“What the fuck Marty? I knew you were going to prank me once you found out I was here, but this? You are absolutely fucking insane!” Auston was practically pulling at his hair, frustrated with the whole thing. Kappy spoke in a small voice. “Auston-“

“What?” Auston glared at the blonde. Kappy bit his lip and continued. “That wasn’t a prank, you know Marty would never go that far.” Matt glanced back to Auston who has tears welling in his eyes. 

“I know, I just really, really wanted this to be a prank. I didn’t want this to be a real fucking abduction.” Auston sat in the middle of the floor and buried his face in his hands. 

Just then Spence’s voice boomed through the speakers, making Kappy yelp out in surprise. Auston, however, didn’t move. 

“So, I take it the exchange went well-ish?” Auston slowly pulled his hands away from his face. 

“Spence? What the fuck is going on?”

Spence decided to just bluntly explain things. “Well, you and Kasperi were abducted by a ring of kidnappers associated with the deep web. Matt and I have been on the site and buying you back. Just before you two was Casey Cizikas.” Kappy continued to stare at the floor whilst Auston gawked at Spence’s words. 

“You’ve got to be shitting me.”

“No my friend, it’s all true.”

“Do the police know about this?  
”  
“Only Casey, Matt, Hillary, Meghan, and myself know.” Auston narrowed his eyes at Hillary, who smiled sheepishly. “We can’t exactly tell the cops without risking your lives. In fact, we can’t send you home without the risk of them re-abducting you. That being said, you’ll have to break contact with any other friends.” Auston then walked past them and down a hall. 

“Auston? Where are you going?” Hillary question. “To get a drink!” Auston hollered back. 

Matt bolted after him, apologizing to Kappy, who didn’t really know anyone else in the room. 

Once Matt had caught up with Auston he had already opened a bottle of beer. Matt smacked it out of his hand, spilling booze all over the floor. Auston glared at him “What the fuck was that for?” Matt glared back. “You can’t drink away your problems, Auston.” Auston shrugged, “Well I’m going to die anyway, might as well die in a respectable manner.”

“How the fuck is drinking yourself to death respectable?”

“I prefer it over being found in the dumpster of some rich sicko who does God knows what with me!” Matt saw some more tears in Auston’s eyes. “I don’t want to die like that, Marty. I want to be at home with my mom and sisters. I want to play hockey with my friends. I want to live.” The tears spilled out of his eyes, staining his cheeks. 

Matt wrapped his arms around Auston, allowing him to cry into his shirt. He understood perfectly. If they weren’t able to save Auston and Kappy, who knows who would have gotten to them? There are infinite ways they would have suffered, and the very thought of it made Matt’s stomach twist. 

After a few seconds they pulled apart. Auston rubbed his now-puffy eyes “Damn, I am a mess. Sorry about your shirt.” Matt shrugged. “Hey I could made a fortune off this thing. A Matt Martin original, stained by the crybaby Auston Matthews.”

Auston playfully punched him in the shoulder, causing them both to laugh. “I don’t cry that much.” Matt rolled his eyes, before he felt his phone vibrate. “It must be Syd.” He glanced down at the name, only to see it wasn’t who he thought it was. 

“Oh shit, it’s Mitchy!”

“Really?” Auston glanced at the ID to confirm. Once he did he laughed softly. “Damn, I could really use a chat with that energy ball. He always finds a way to make me happy.” Matt smiled and handed the phone over. “Go for it.” Auston’s eyes widened in shock. “But Spence-“

“So what? You’ve had probably one of the worst days of your life, and if a conversation with Mitchy will help, go right on ahead.” Auston smiled and took the phone in his hand, mouthing a ‘thank you’. He held the phone to his ear after answering, a big grin covering his face. “Hey Mitchy!”

“Aus? Is Marty with you at the restaurant?”

Auston frowned. “What restaurant?” He looked at Matt in confusion. “Did Marty say you were meeting at a restaurant?”

“No, you did! You texted me a couple hours ago dumbass.” Auston immediately patted his pockets, realizing in horror that his phone wasn’t there. 

“Mitchy, where are you right now?”

“That weird ice cream place Syd keeps talking about, am I even in the right area? I was going to ask somebody for directions, but no one’s around. I was calling Marty to see if he knew where it was.”

“Mitchy, I need you to get out of there, now.” Matt gave him a worried look, his eyes wide in fear. 

“Why? Dude you’re acting really weird. Oh, I see you, you’re the one waving from the small ass car right?” Auston felt his blood run cold. 

“Mitchy, I swear to you, that is not me.”

“Uh, Aus? You’re kinda freaking me out. If that isn’t you, who’s the guy that’s waving?”

“Mitchy, I have no idea but you have to run. Somewhere where there are people, I don’t care if you have to go to a strip club just for the love of God run!” Matt ran over and snatched the phone from Auston, who was trembling. 

“Mitchy? Its Marty. That guy who waved to you is not friendly, he’s going to try and take you. I want you to walk a little faster. If you start running they’ll know you’re aware. Don’t hang up the phone so I can make sure you’re okay.” He heard Mitch let out a shaky breath. “Marty, if you two are messing with me-“

“Mitch, start moving.” He was silent for a bit after that, but he could hear his breathing still.

“The car’s following me.”   
Matt looked at Auston and pointed back towards the others. Auston nodded and ran over to get them. He returned his attention to Mitch. “How many people are around you right now?” 

Mitch hummed for a second. “Nobody? Where the fuck are all the people?”

Matt heard a loud honk in the background, and Mitch swore. 

“What was that?”

“They're getting faster, fuck. Is there anywhere you know of that I’ll be safe?”

Matt bit his lip. “Where are you?” Mitch took a second to look. “Um, some fancy clothes shop with a butterfly on the sign.” Syd goes there to shop, and it was right next to-

“A spaghetti place should be right next to it. Go inside, there will be people there that can keep you safe until I send someone.”The sounds of the streets were cut off, and Matt sighed in relief.”You good Mitchy?”

“I think so? Nobody’s in here, but I’m pretty sure the employees are cleaning up.” Matt heard a sudden intake of breath. “Mitchy?”

“This is the restaurant he told me to meet him at.” The sound of glass breaking put Matt on edge. 

“Mitchy?” Matt heard some scuffling, and a distant sounding cry. Matt held a hand over his mouth, knowing exactly what happened. After a few seconds the noise stopped. Then he heard footsteps. The phone was still on. 

Matt heard breathing on the other end. He knew it wasn’t Mitch. Matt felt his hands shake. “Whoever the fuck you are, you are going to regret ever hurting my friends.” The breathing stopped for a second. A deep voice came from the other end, one that Matt had never heard before. 

“One more coin.”The call ended.

Auston ran in with Hillary in tow. He saw the tears in Matt’s eyes, and shook his head. Matt nodded, tears falling down his face. Auston ran out of the room. Hillary knelt down next to Matt and pulled him into her arms. He sobbed, gripping her shirt. 

Mitch was gone.


	12. 12

Matt didn’t know how long he hugged Hillary, but when they pulled away he felt like years had gone by. He wiped his eyes and gave Hillary an empty smile. 

Hillary kept a neutral expression, pointing back towards the front desk. “We should tell the others.” Matt nodded, refusing to speak. 

They trudged back into the main room, seeing Kappy and Meghan, but not Auston. He gave Meghan a curious glance and she nodded her head towards the door. 

“He just ran out, what happened?” Matt opened his mouth only for Hillary to interrupt him. 

“They took Mitch.” Meghan placed a hand over her mouth, and Kappy looked even more distraught than before. As Hillary explained to them the horrors of the situation Matt walked outside. 

It was cold and dark, not the ideal time to run out into the open with kidnappers around. Then again, when Auston freaks out he really freaks out. For all Matt knows he could be hyperventilating on the roof. 

Actually..

Matt walked around the side of the motel towards a ladder Hillary had shown him earlier. He climbed it to the roof, and wasn’t surprised to see Auston with his face bruised in his knees. Matt bit his lip, knowing how fucked up this was. 

“Aus?” Matt spoke softly, not wanting to startle Auston. He slowly lifted his head from his knees to glance at Matt. Once he saw him his face contorted in anger. 

“What the fuck do you want?” He spat. Matt was taken aback by Auston’s hostility. “I just wanted to check up on you?”

“Why? So you can make sure I don’t run off and upset your clients?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Auston scoffed and pulled himself off the ground into a standing position. He squared his shoulders. “Don’t play dumb, you’re fucking behind this.” Matt rolled his eyes. “I can’t even begin to see where the fuck you go that accusation.”

Auston grit his teeth. “It makes sense! All this shit is going around Canada, which is where you live. You’re drawing us in with your friendly facade to auction us off like cattle! You fucking monster! You’re the reason Mitchy could be hurt!”

Matt stepped forward. “Listen to yourself! You aren’t making any sense! If I was the one selling you then why would I have saved you from other buyers?”

“I don’t know! Maybe you get a sick kick out of it?” Auston ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “If you aren’t doing this, then how come it’s all revolving around you?” 

Matt cocked his head to the side. “What?”

Auston narrowed his eyes. “Do you seriously not see it?” Matt bit his lip, shaking his head.   
“Well, you said Ryan was the first person kidnapped, right?” Matt nodded. “Okay, so then how come they didn’t go back to America?”

Matt contemplated the point before replying. “They knew Willy and Kappy were here.”

Auston shook his head. “No, they stayed because of you. You’re here Marty. Casey was the first person stolen. Out of everyone in America, why him? He certainly isn’t an easy target, but he is one of your closest friends.”

Matt’s eyes widened in realization. “Shit.” Auston nodded. “They could’ve easily picked up any hockey player that you never socialize with, but they specifically took people that you know.”  
Matt placed both hands on top of his head, everything suddenly becoming clearer. 

“Shit, shit.”

“Marty, whoever is doing this, is going after you. The rest of us are just pawns to get to you.” He looked off into the distance. “But that doesn’t mean they aren’t willing to hurt us as well.”

Matt sat down on the roof, letting all the thoughts swirl around his head. Auston was right. He was right. This whole thing surrounded him, but why? Who in the world was that obsessed with him that they would go through with kidnapping four other people? And why kidnap anyone else at all? Why not just come for Matt and leave his friends out of it?

“Auston, you are insanely smart.” Auston shrugged. 

Matt sighed. “I’m so fucking sorry, I didn’t even begin to think-I’m sorry.” He looked to see Auston standing in front of him, hand outstretched. 

“You have nothing to be sorry for, I’m the one who accused you. In actuality, you’re just as much of a victim as any of us.” He pulled Matt up. 

“Do you think Spence can get Mitchy back?”Auston’s eyes held sincere worry in them. Matt smiled softly. “He’s a fucking magician on the internet, of course he can save Mitchy.”

Auston didn’t smile back. His eyes drifted towards the dusty road alongside the motel. Matt never recalled seeing other cars on that road.”I really hope so, Mitchy doesn’t deserve any of this. To think, he was going to surprise me by showing up during my visit here, and he gets abducted.” Tears fell down his face. 

“Fucking hilarious.”His voice broke at the end as he went into full on sobbing. Matt held his arms out, inviting Auston in for a hug. He gladly accepted, trembling in Matt’s arms. 

The two sat down on the roof like that, Auston with his face buried in Matt’s shoulder. He didn’t mind, as long as Auston was stable. After a few minutes he even fell asleep. As Matt hummed an old song to his sleeping friend, he felt his phone vibrate. He took it out of his pockets, seeing multiple new messages. He would’ve saved them for later, if it weren’t for the fact that it was from an unknown number. Matt felt a chill go down his spine as he slid his thumb across the street. 

Unknown: They have him

Matt’s entire body tensed. He already knew who this mystery person was talking about. He scrolled down to read more. 

Unknown: Mitch amuses him. He wants to keep him.   
Unknown: You need to hurry

An image followed the last one. Matt felt his heartbeat skyrocket. 

It was a picture of his apartment but from outside the window. Syd was sitting in the living room playing with Jax. She wore the same clothes he last saw her in. 

Unknown: He wants to start a collection


	13. 13

The streets of Toronto were surprisingly quiet tonight. Very unusual for what was supposed to be a city of high population. Something was wrong, but Syd couldn’t care less. She was too preoccupied with the dog playing in front of her. 

“Jax! Stop drooling all over the couch!” Syd placed her hands on her hips as she scolded him. Jax ignored her, continuing to drool on the couch. She scrunched her nose in disgust and used her food to nudge him off. He jumped off and ran towards the kitchen. 

Syd groaned. The couch was going to have drool and dried drool all over it for the next hour. Sighing, she went back to watching Netflix. Eleven was so badass! As she watched her make one of the bullies wet their pants her phone beeped. Syd looked down at ehr called ID hoping that it was Matt. She smiled when she saw Mitch’s name. 

Mitch: hey sid, what r u doing up at this fine hour?  
Syd smiled to herself. Always so charming.   
Sydney: rewatching stranger things, thanks for the recommendation!  
Mitch: Don’t mention it. Hey, we should watch it together.   
Sydney: YES! I love it when you’re here. Marty should be back soon too, so we can all watch!  
Mitch: sounds great, be there in a few. 

Syd beamed as she finished texting. She loved hanging out with Mitch. He’s like a little kid, always jumpy and excited to do everything. She couldn’t wait to see him again. 

Syd heard another beep. She brought her phone up again, frowning when she saw it wasn’t from Mitch nor Matt. Unknown. Syd felt a chill run down her spine, but read the text anyway. 

Unknown: I advise you to stay indoors tonight

What? Syd stood up and looked around the room, her heart beating rapidly. How the fuck did this person know she was texting Mitch?

Sydney:Whoever you are, leave me alone. If you’re stalking me I WILL call the police.  
Unknown:I’m trying to help you, that person isn’t Mitch, go ahead and try to call him. He isn’t going to pick up because you won’t recognize his voice.   
Sydney: Whoever you are, leave me alone. 

Syd sighed and walked into the kitchen. This mystery person was really getting to her. THey knew Mitch was coming, so they had to have either hacked her phone or to have seen Mitch. Maybe she should call Mitch just to calm her nerves down a bit. She hit the call button only for him to immediately decline. 

Mitch:Sorry, can’t talk right now. 

Syd felt her skin pale. It’s okay, he probably had a legitimate reason. She texted him back. 

Sydney: How come?  
Mitch: At the movies with Aus!

Syd let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding. The mystery person most likely read of Mitch’s shoulder at the movie theater. That’s how they knew about their conversation. Nothing to be worried about. 

Sydney: Then stop texting me! That’s rude.   
Mitch: It’s the credits, Aus just wanted to see the little clip at the end.   
Sydney: You both saw Dr. Strange?  
Mitch: Yea! So, is Marty there yet?  
Sydney: Nope.  
Mitch: Too bad, we’re just gonna miss him

Before she could respond Syd got another message from the mystery person. Maybe she should screenshot them and send Mitch the pictures? This person was invading his privacy too. 

Sydney: Hey, I think somebody is reading over your shoulder.   
>>image attached<<  
Mitch: I see that guy right now. You won’t have to worry about him, he’s just some ass with a cell.  
Sydney: Okay, thank you. 

Syd smiled and decided to make some tea for when Mitch and Auston arrived. Having the confirmation that this was just some dude at a movie theatre made everything more relaxed. As Syd heated the water she heard multiple beeps coming from her cell. She ignored them to the best of her ability, knowing she would lash out and text something she might regret later.   
After the last five beeps Syd had had enough. She smacked her hand on the counter snatching her phone up. She glared at the screen for a second, only for it to fade. She had seven messages and nine missed calls, all from Matt. 

Matt:Syd? Are you there?  
Matt:Syd?  
Matt:Please tell me you’re in the shower  
Matt:Syd  
Matt:Syd  
Matt: SYDNEY  
Matt: I’ll be there in less than ten minutes

Syd furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. What was going on? She heard a knock at the door as she got another text. 

Mitch: We’re here!

Grinning, Syd ran over to the front door. She swung it open, her arms outstretched. 

“Hey guys-“ SHe was cut off as a gloved hand covered her mouth. 

Syd shrieked at the sight of two people in black seats. Their faces were covered by dark masks. Syd kicked a leg out at one of them, hitting them straight in the knee. She bolted away towards her and Matt’s bedroom, locking the door behind her. SHe whipped out her phone, immediately dialing Matt. 

The screen of her phone suddenly turned dark blue, shutting off. She tried desperately to turn it back on, only to no avail. 

They started banging on the door. Syd shrieked as tears fell down her face. Finally the door gave in, and the two goons came rushing in. Jax ran in as well, barking madly at them.   
One of the thugs grabbed Jax by the leg, causing him to yelp. The same person took Jax and stuck the syringe in him. He went limp, and Syd sobbed even harder. A nearby leamp caught her attention. Quickly she snatched it up. She glared at the two intruders through her tears and charged at them. 

Syd managed to hit one in the leg, hearing a very satisfying crack. They screamed, and their partner lunged towards her. Syd. She tried to get away but was soon forced face-first into the carpet below. She tried to wriggle away. 

The person she hit snarled at her and stepped on her hand. Syd shrieked as she felt the bones break. The other person took a syringe and stuck it into her arm, pushing the substance in. 

The room swayed in Syd’s eyes as sound distorted around her. As they picked her up and carried her out of the house, the theme song for Stranger Things played. Syd’s eyes closed as she hoped she would wake up sitting on the couch with Mitch, having just had a nightmare.   
Ironically, the real nightmare wouldn’t begin until she woke up.


	14. 14

Matt bolted across the roof. Auston fell face-first onto the concrete, waking himself up. He groaned and held a hand up to his nose. 

“Marty what the fu-“He cut himself off when he saw the older man practically sprinting towards his car. 

Auston quickly descended the ladder. He ran after Matt, cupping his hands around his mouth.

“Marty! What are you doing?” He ignored Auston, struggling with opening the front door. 

Once Auston caught up to him he tapped his shoulder. Matt swung around. 

“What the fuck is it Auston?”

“Holy shit!” Auston held his hands up in surprise. “I have no clue! You just ran!”Matt turned back to his car, completely ignoring Auston. 

“Where are my fucking keys?”Matt stormed inside the motel with Auston tailing behind him. 

Hillary sprung up first. “Matt? Are you oka-“

“Where are my fucking keys?” Hillary blinked. “How the hell should I know?”

“They aren’t in my fucking car and I need to get back to my fucking apartment right now so whoever has my fucking keys better fucking hand them over.” The room was dead silent. 

“You can’t go to your apartment.”

Everyone turned to look at Casey, who was using all his strength just to stand. Matt glared at him “Why the fuck not?”

Casey glared at his friend. “Because that’s what they want you to do. They’re going to try and get Syd just to get to you. If you go there now then you’re basically handing yourself to them.”  
Matt rolled his eyes. “That doesn’t make it okay to leave Syd alone! I’m going there, so give me my keys Casey. 

Casey didn’t move. “You’re only going to accomplish getting yourself kidnapped along with her.”

Matt grit his teeth.”I’m not leaving my fiance alone with those sick fucks.”

Casey took a step back, moving his left hand slightly behind him. It was a small move, but Matt noticed it immediately. He charged into Casey, snatching the keys from his hands. Casey wrapped his arms around Matt’s waits. “Marty! You’re only going to make things worse!”

“I’d rather be taken then have them lay a finger on Syd!” Without thinking he swung his leg back, kicking Casey in the leg. Casey doubled over in pain. As the others blurted out different things Matt ran out of the motel. 

He bolted into his car and stuck the key into the ignition. Hillary came running out, waving her arms and shouting. Matt drove out of the parking lot and into the road, barely having time to close his door.

Hillary tried chasing him down the road, but within seconds she was too far behind to follow. Matt sighed, gradually speeding up. He pulled out his cellphone and began texting Syd with one hand, trying to focus on driving as well. 

Matt: Syd? Are you there?  
Matt:Syd? 

No answer. Worry built in the pit of Matt’s stomach. She always answered. Always.   
Matt: Please tell me you’re in the shower. 

The car started to drift towards the right, but Matt yanked the wheel back in time. He was starting to lose it. 

Matt: Syd  
Matt: Syd  
Matt:SYDNEY

Matt’s vision blurred with tears. She still wasn't answering. A loud home made him snap back to attention. A car was heading straight towards him. 

Matt was on the wrong side of the road. 

He jerked the wheel back towards the left to pull his car out of their right lane. The car drove straight past him at an alarming speed. Matt went off the road, barley missing a nearby tree. He slammed his foot on the brake. 

He buried his face in the steering wheel, breathing irregularly. Images of Syd beaten and bloody swirled around his head. She doesn’t deserve to be in this mess. Nobody does. They all just had the misfortune of knowing Matt. 

He didn’t even try to stop the fat tears from falling down his face. Everything was out of control. He wanted to get some outside help, this was way too fucking stressful for him to handle. He was a hockey player! How the fuck is he supposed to stop a kidnapping ring? 

It didn’t matter if he didn’t want to. 

He had to. 

Matt sighed and picked his phone back up, sending one last text to Syd. 

Matt: I’ll be there in less than ten minutes

Matt tossed his phone into the passenger seat and went back to driving. He pulled his car back onto the road, heading to his apartment. 

With a little speeding Matt managed to get to his apartment in six minutes. The streets were surprisingly quiet, leading Matt to believe that the kidnappers had something to do with it.   
He slowed the car down as he got to his apartment. He hastily parked it and ran inside the house, completely forgetting to lock the car. 

Matt’s skin paled when he saw the door was wide open. 

He walked inside, taking in the state of the house. The kitchen table was on it’s side, broken teacups littering the floor. Droplets of red stained the tile, giving Matt’s stomach a twist.   
He rushed into their bedroom, hoping that somehow Syd had beat the odds and was sitting on their bed, scared but healthy. He hoped to see her beautiful eyes staring into his, and she would rush into his arms, scared, but safe. 

Instead he was met with the horror of their trashed bedroom. 

Their covers were ripped and hanging off the bed. A lamp lay on the floor, bent and broken. Matt turned his head to the figure lying near the wall. His heart stopped. 

“No.” He bolted over and poked Jax, trying to get some reaction. He remained motionless. Matt trembled. He wasn’t moving.He wasn’t moving. 

“Syd!” Matt cried at the top of his lungs. He ran out of the bedroom. “Syd!” He ran all over the apartment, shrieking her name over and over. 

“Syd!” He tripped and fell onto the living room floor. His eyes welled up with tears. “Syd,” Matt buried his head into the carpet and sobbed. 

The streets of Toronto were silent that night, making the sounds of grief ring even louder. Heart-breaking screams echoes throughout the broken home.

Matt Martin, in one night, had lost everything. 

And he didn’t even know the extent of his loss.


	15. 15

She awoke to bright lights. 

Syd held a hand up above her eyes, shielding them from the harsh beams. Her grogginess faded as she recalled the the previous events.

Tears in her eyes, Syd pushed herself off the carpet into a sitting position. She scanned the area around her.

She was in a room. Not a stone basement, but a real, carpeted room. The walls were beige, and a big bed sat in front of her. There was even a small dresser next to the bed. The place could’ve been a hotel room for all she knew, despite the lack of windows. 

Syd did see a door however. She stood up and walked over to it. She jiggled the lock. It didn’t budge. 

A million questions without answers. 

Sighing, Syd sat on the bed. It was soft, but she wasn’t going to believe that whoever kidnapped her had good intentions. For all she knew this bed wasn’t meant to be used for a good night's sleep. 

Don’t think like that. She scolded herself. She was already scared enough, thinking even harder on the situation would make things worse. Suddenly, the door knob turned. Syd pulled both her legs on the bed, scrambling into the headboard. She wanted to put as much distance between her captors and herself as possible. 

The door creaked open slowly, revealing two people. One was a charming man with sparkling eyes. The other was a tall brute with a stocky build. She dug her nails into the bedspread as they approached. 

“Well, aren’t you a doll.” The charming one spoke. He stuck out a hand towards Syd, who immediately flushed. 

“Don’t worry, I don't bite.: He smiled, and Syd could almost feel her terror melt away. 

Almost. 

Ssyd put her hand in his, and he took it gingerly, leading her past the brute and out of the room.. He escorted her down the hall. Beige and carpeted, just like the bedroom. They went past a series of random doors until eventually stopping at one in particular. The man smiled at Syd. “You’re going to see a friend here.” She furrowed her brow in confusion as he opened the door. 

Inside the room was a small square table with two chairs. At one end it was empty, and at the other sat a very familiar face. 

“Mitch!” His eyes widened in horror. 

“Syd!” Mitch jumped out of his chair and ran towards her. Syd pulled herself away from the stranger and ran into his arms. 

“Fuck, Syd why are you here?” She trembled as she buried her face in Mitch’s shoulder. “I don’t know..”

The door slammed, causing both of them to jump. A loud crackling noise was heard as a voice boomed over a loudspeaker. 

“It appears my toys have become acquainted.” The voice was deep, yet unfamiliar. Mitch clung onto Syd protectively. “Whoever you are this isn’t going to end fucking well for you.” 

Mitch spoke to the voice. Laughter bounced across the room. “You’re so feisty, when in reality I can bend and break you at will. You’re lucky, since I don’t want to completely break my toys, at least, not until I get my prize.”

Mitch’s body tensed. “What the fuck are you talking about?” Syd’s eyes widened in realization. There’s only one person they’d kidnap her and Mitch to get to..

“Matt of course. However you two are quite adorable, it’ll make the wait for him slightly more bearable.” Syd blinked back tears as her grip on Mitch’s shirt tightened. 

“Anyway, I have some business to attend to at the moment, but don’t worry! I’m sending down some bodyguards to make sure nothing happens to you cuties! Bye!” A loud beep signaled the end of their brief call.

Mitch and Syd shared a look of uncertainty before heading towards the table. Mitch moved his chair from the other end to right besides Syd’s so they wouldn’t have to be too far apart. 

They then sat down. 

They were enveloped in silence for a few seconds before Syd spoke. 

“How long have you been here, Mitchy?” Her eyes searched his for any type of misery.

Mitch furrowed his eyebrows. “Not very long, at least I don’t think. I only remember blacking out and waking up in one of the rooms. Those guys from earlier led me down here. I’d only been in here a couple minutes before you.” Syd sighed. “So you don’t know what’s going on either.”Mitch looked down at the table. 

“Frankly, I don’t think I want to know.”

The door swung open again. They both snapped their heads up to see two figures. They were in black sweats and ski masks. Syd paled. They were her kidnappers. 

“Well! If it ain’t the bitch.” A female voice said.  
Both figures walking in, one slamming the door shut behind them. They made their way to the opposite side of the table. Mitch and Syd inched closer together, already scared out of their minds. “Did you want to break the other one as well?” Syd paled as she saw the woman point at her shin, which was encased in a heavy boot. That lamp was a very good weapon. 

“Aren’t you doing to apologize?” The woman cocked her head. Syd glanced at Mitch, who nodded, knowing it was best not to anger these people.

“I’m sorry.” The woman turned her head to her companion, who nodded. She turned back to face Syd. 

“Liar.” She grabbed Syd by the hair and yanked her out of the chair. “Hey!” Mitch leapt up and shoved the woman back, tugging Syd behind him. The woman landed on her back, shrieking. Her companion pulled out a gun and aimed it at Mitch. “Sit the fuck down.” Mitch stood in front of Syd, refusing to move. 

All of a sudden the doors swung open again. The man with sparkling eyes walked in, glaring at the two thugs.. “You idiots! Do you know what he'll do to us if you fucking shoot them?” He briskly walked over and pulled the gun out of his hand, exchanging it for a knife. 

“Use this, and don’t you fucking dare touch their faces.” He then yanked the girl up by her arm, also exchanging her gun for a knife. “Don’t fuck this up, this is good money.” He then left the room. 

The man twirled the knife in his hand. “So, Em, should I go for the arms or the legs on him?” The girl crossed her arms. “ To be honest Max, I’d say his arms, fucker is trying to fight back. But the bitch is mine.” They nodded, facing the two again. 

Mitch and Syd could both feel the horror of what was about to come. Max bolted towards Mitch and tackled him to the ground. Emma grabbed Syd by the arm, yanking her against her chest. Syd tried to wriggle away, but it was no use. This girl had about 80 lbs over her in muscle, and about half-foot in height. Max was about four inches taller than Mitch, but also seemed to be extremely built. Syd couldn’t tell if he was on steroids or not, which given his aggression, he probably was. 

Max held both of Mitch’s wrists with one hand, and with the other took out his knife. He has pinned Mitch to the ground and was now on his chest, sneering down at him. He held the tip of the blade against the inside of Mitch’s right elbow. His blue eyes widened as he realized what Max was about to do. 

Max then inserted into his skin, making Mitch yelp. Syd lunged forward only for Emma to yank her back. Mitch shrieked as Max dragged the blade through his skin. Syd watched in horror as crimson red dripped from the cuts, staining his skin. 

Once he finished that arm, Max repeated it on the other. Syd felt her tears fall down her face at the sound of Mitch’s screams.

“Mitch!” Emma grabbed her chin harshly, forcing her to watch Mitch struggle. She felt Emma’s lips against her ear as she whispered.

“Don’t worry, we didn’t forget about you.” She then took the knife and plunged it into Syd’s thigh.


	16. 16

Auston didn’t like silence. 

Sure, he liked to have a relaxing quiet atmosphere every now and then, but a silence where if anyone so much as breathe they disturbed it? No thank you. That type of silence was awkward and uncomfortable. 

Sadly, that was the silence that currently filled the motel. 

Auston looked around the room, trying not to let the eerie quiet consume him. Meghan was bandaging Casey’s thigh, which was bleeding a little. The kidnappers had left a wound there that Matt accidentally reopened when he kicked him. Casey seemed fine now, despite the death glare he was giving the wall. Kappy was sitting off to the side, not really knowing anyone that well outside of him and Matt, therefore feeling extremely alone. 

“There! You should be good for a while.” Meghan chirped. Casey moved his leg around a little testing out the security of the bandages. He smiled. 

“Thank you Meghan.”

“Yes, that way when Matt comes back he can have the joy of busting it open again.” Hillary spat. Meghan rolled her eyes. “Hilary-“

“No! He was a fucking asshole to Casey. Not only that, but he ran off without trying to talk this through.” She banged her fist into the wall she was leaning against. “Idiot!”

Meghan rubbed her temples. 

“Okay, why don’t we just drive out to check up on him? The guys will be safe here, and you can chew him out in his apartment and leave them out of it.” Hillary huffed. “Fine, get the keys from the desk.” She exited the motel. Meghan snatched her keys from the desk. “You guys will be safe here.” She ran out the motel door, shouting back one last time. “There’s food down the hall in the kitchen!” They heard a screeching of tires, and they were gone. 

Auston sighed, hating this useless feeling. He glanced wearily between the other men. Casey was still glaring at the door, grumbling something. Kappy bit his lip whilst tugging on his shirt. Auston narrowed his eyes. Kappy refused to be checked by Meghan earlier. He seemed to be hiding something. 

Auston stood up. “I’m thirsty, anyone else thirsty?” Casey said nothing. Kappy stared at his shoes.

“Awesome. Water for everybody. Kappy help me get some food too.”Auston yanked Kappy up and dragged him down the hall. Once they got into the kitchen Auston questioned him.   
“Alright, Kappy what’s going on?”

Kappy narrowed his eyes. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Auston sighed and pointed at his waist. 

“You’ve been tugging your shirt over something the entire past hour. What did they do?” Kappy bit his lip and looked away. Even though he was a 6 foot tall hockey player, he somehow looked small at the moment. 

Auston swallowed back the lump in his throat. “Kappy, I was passed out for almost the entire time, yet you seemed terrified of something. What did they do to us while I was out?”

Kappy didn’t meet Auston’s eyes when he spoke. “You don’t remember?”

Auston shook his head, fear filling his stomach.”No.”

Kappy looked up with red eyes. His voice broke. “You lucky son of a bitch.”

Before..

“Say cheese!”

The man chuckled as he snapped pictures of both Kappy and Auston. Auston had just woken back up from the drugs. Even though he seemed alert, Kappy wouldn’t be surprised if he passed out again. He did have a heavy dosage of drugs in his system. 

The man waved in two guards. “I’m going to get these up on the site, watch them.” He exited the room, leaving Kappy and Auston with the guards. 

The girl spoke first. “See Max! I told you he was here!” She practically bolted over to Kappy. She ripped off her mask to see better. Kappy took notice of her features, just in case he could get out of this mess. 

Brown-blonde hair, brown eyes, pale-ish skin. British accent. She leaned in until her face was inches from Kappy’s. He couldn’t do anything about it, his arms were pinned to his back and his ankles were tied together. The girl continued to stare and even grabbed the side of his face. 

Kappy was in complete shock when she kissed him. 

It wasn’t a peck on the cheek, but rather a wet, gross, heated mess. Kappy tried to pull away, but her hand held him firm. He hated it. He didn’t want her to touch him. It felt unbelievably wrong and disgusting. 

“Hey! Fuck off!” Auston yelled. The girl pulled away for a second to roll her eyes. “Max, silence the loudmouth, he’s killing the mood.” Kappy heard some scuffling and a grunt. They injected Auston again, he was going to be out cold. 

But not Kappy. 

The girl turned back to him. 

“Where were we?” She tried to move in again. “Stop.” Kappy said it firmly. The girl glared at him “What?”

“Get off of me. I’m not your fucking toy.” Kappy’s usually cheerful eyes held pure anger in them. The girl glared back. She took out a knife. 

Kappy somehow grew even paler. “What are you doing?” The girl smiled. “I’m marking you as mine.” She yanked Kappy’s shirt up. The cold steel touched his skin, and Kappy felt chills up and down his spine. She pressed her lips against his ear. “My toy.”

Now..

Auston felt anger surging through his veins. Those people are monsters. There is no sugar coating it, that is what they are. He tried to suppress his anger so as not to scare Kappy. 

“Show me.”

Kappy bit his lip, lifting up his shirt. Auston gasped at the name roughly etched into Kappy’s skin, covered in red. 

Emma.

Auston ran over to Kappy and wrapped him in his arms. Kappy trembled as tears fell down his face. After a minute of comforting they pulled apart. Kappy’s face was red, harshly contrasting his pale skin. Still, it wasn’t as red as the cuts that would surely scar him. 

Auston sighed. “We should head back to Casey.” Kappy nodded, not saying anything. Kappy nodded, not saying anything. 

“Kappy, I’m here if you need to talk, okay?” Kappy said nothing, but gave a soft smile. Auston smiled back. Maybe he wasn’t useless after all. 

They walked back into the main room, only to see Casey wasn’t there. Auston Scanned the room. “Casey?”

An arm wrapped around his waist as steel was pressed to his neck. He looked to Kappy, seeing him passed out on the ground. A figure stood above him, tracing the name etched into his waistline. 

Auston’s heart pounded in his ears as the person holding him chuckled darkly. “It’s going to be one hell of a reunion.” Before Auston could even begin to fathom what he was talking about, a needle pricked his arm. The room spun rapidly as his panic increased. 

And then there was nothing.


	17. 17

She missed him. 

Syd truly, utterly, missed Matt. She missed his smile, his laughter, his dirty jokes, his eyes. She wanted to stare into his sparkling blue eyes forever and get lost in them. 

Instead she got to stare at the bloody lines that marked both her and Mitch. The guards were now back near the door, having been bored of Syd and Mitch’s screams. Max twirled his knife along his thumb, not looking up from the bits of Mitch’s blood still on it. Emma was full on glaring at Syd, looking ready to pounce at any second. 

Syd bit her lip, returning her attention to the bloodstains on her skirt. Emma had stuck her knife in her right thigh and twisted it, earning shrieks of pain. The blood wasn’t slowing.   
Syd could feel her strength fading a little as she tried to press the area around the wound and hopefully stop the blood. Mitch immediately noticed this and scooted over to her. He smiled at her and she nodded. Mitch placed both of his palms around the wound and pressed. 

Syd breathed in sharply, but nodded for him to continue. Mitch ripped the waist of his shirt off and made a makeshift bandage. Syd took notice of the blood on his arms. The cuts has reopened from the pressure he had put on them, and were bleeding rapidly. 

“Mitchy,” He didn’t look up, instead focusing on the wound. “Mitchy,” Syd placed her hands on his shoulders. Mitch looked up. 

“Let me help you.” Syd’s eyes bore determination. Knowing that there was no talking her out of this, Mitch backed off. Syd then ripped a piece of her skirt off, despite Mitch’s protests. “It’s stained anyway, nothing we can do.” She wrapped the cloth around each of Mitch’s arms, temporarily stopping the blood flow. 

When she was done she sighed in relief, giving him a small smile. Mitch returned it, and Syd could even see a glimmer of hope in his eyes. Maybe they’d be okay-

“Aw! They’re so sweet, it makes me want to barf.” Emma’s voice taunted them. Syd balled her hands into fists. “Leave us alone.”

“C’mon now, I’m just having a little fun.” Emma’s hand landed on Syd’s shoulder, and her whole body tense. Mitch glared at Emma.

“Get your hands off her you sick fuck.” She gave a low whistle. 

“Ooh, a lot of sass in this one. Be careful, that turns me on.”

“Jesus you’re disgusting.” Emma pulled her hands away from Syd and walked over to Mitch.

She ripped her mask off, revealing cold brown eyes and messy-blonde hair. She bent down slightly so her lips were against his ear. Mitch leaned away from her, but she grabbed his chin forcefully as to hold his face still. 

“What did I just say?” Her tongue swiped his earlobe, making his eyes widen. 

“Emma, this is getting ridiculous. We barely made it without them knowing about Kasperi, why risk it again?” Max crossed his arms as he scolded her. Emma scoffed. They’re too fucking dim to know, besides, Kasperi is gone and I need someone.” She licked her lip whilst looking at Mitch, who was now very uncomfortable. 

Max put his hands up in defeat. “Alright, have at it. Just make sure you cover your tracks. Emma grinned. 

“Thanks little bro!” She turned back to Mitch, whose eyes were about the size of saucers.   
Emma placed a hand on each of Mitch’s, planting him there. He tried to get up, only for her to sit on his lap. Emma attacked his mouth, making gross, sloppy sounds. Mitch denied her entrance by clenching his jaw tight. 

She stopped for a moment to glare at him. “Really? What the hell?” Syd rolled her eyes. “He has a boyfriend you idiot. Even if he didn’t, there is no way in hell he’d give in to you.”

Emma smirked. “No biggie, he just hasn’t seen who he really belongs to yet.” Syd narrowed her eyes. What was she getting at?

Emma took one hand away from Mitch’s, instead using her knee to hold him down. She fiddled with her belt and pulled something out. Syd’s heart skipped a beat when she saw the glint of cold steel. 

Mitch gasped as she dug the blade into his hip, carving something. His eyes brimmed with tears, yet Emma only seemed to take pleasure in it. 

“No!” Syd leapt onto Emma tackling her to the floor. Her victory was short lived, as Emma had flipped them almost as soon as they landed. Syd stared in horror as Emma raised the knife above her head. 

“Bitch!” She swung down. Syd clenched her eyes shut. 

Suddenly, Emma was shoved off her. Syd looked up to see Mitch standing above her, hand outstretched. Syd gladly took his hand and hastily pulled herself up. They ran off to the side just as Emma had gotten back up. 

Her eyes were wild. Emma shrieked and ran towards them both with the knife. Mitch pushed Syd away just as Emma tackled him to the ground. 

“Mitch!” Syd snapped her head to the door. Auston was struggling against one of the kidnappers. Kappy and Casey were there as well, slowly regaining consciousness. 

Syd looked back to Mitch. Her eyes widened in horror as she screamed. 

Emma was on top of his chest, hands red with his blood. She stood up quickly, dropping the knife. “I-I killed-“ she couldn’t get the words out. 

Casey, now fully awake, started screaming profanities along with Auston. Kappy just stared at the wound on Mitch’s hip, noting how it looked very familiar. 

A man bolted over to Emma, who was staring at her hands. 

“Emma. What did you do?” It was the charming one from earlier. Emma shook as she tried to force the words out. 

“I-I pushed the knife in too deep-“

“Well guess what,” He took a revolver and put it behind Emma’s head. “You fucked up.”

BANG

Syd watched as Emma’s head lolled to the side. She fell onto the floor. “Emma!” Max bolted over to his sister. Charming held the gun up to his forehead. “Max, she’s dead, and if you test me, so will you.”

Max trembled, but otherwise backed off. Charming smiled. “Good boy.” He then ripped Emma off of Mitch. He crouched down to look at him. “Fuck, he’s lost a lot of blood.” He sighed and picked him up in his arms. Syd looked away. She couldn't look. She wouldn’t look.

Charming walked out the door turning one last time to address the room. “You better hope he lives, otherwise we’re all fucked.” 

He slammed the door behind him, leaving a dead girl, a furious brother, a couple kidnappers, a horrified boyfriend, and three terrified victims.


	18. 18

Matt sniffled as he carried Jax into the living room. After he had found a pulse on them his hopes were lifted. They still hadn’t woken up, however, so he just wanted to give them to someone he could trust for the time being. 

Matt picked up his phone and dialed the one person he knew would show up at this hour. Mostly because he knew he wasn’t asleep either. 

“Marty?”

“Hey Willy, listen I need you to come to my house, as soon as possible. There’s something I need to tell you.” Matt immediately thought of Kappy. With all the shit going on, Willy had a right to know

“Of course, I’ll be there in five minutes.”

“Thank you.” Matt sighed and hung up. How the fuck do you explain all of this to someone without it sounding like an awful joke?

A small whimper brought Matt back to reality. He bolted over to Jax. He was whimpering loudly. He looked so frail. His eyes were half open, and he was shaking. Matt hummed to him softly, trying to calm him down.

“Jax buddy.” His breathing started to even out at the sound of Matt’s voice. He looked up into his eyes. Matt smiled. “You really know how to give me a heart attack, don’t you?”

Jax licked his hand. Matt chuckled. 

“I swear, whoever did this to you is going to pay.” Matt growled. He cradled Jax in his arms, kissing his forehead. Jax tried to lick him again, but didn’t have the strength to move his head anymore. Sighing, Matt placed him on the couch. 

“What the fuck.” Matt looked towards the doorway to see Willy. His eyes were rapidly scanning the tattered mess that was Matt’s house. When his eyes finally landed on Jax he ran over. 

“Jax? Marty what the fuck happened here?” Willy’s eyes widened at the sight of his friend. He bolted over to Matt’s side. “What..” He trailed off when he saw the bloodstains on the carpet.   
Matt wiped his tears away with the back of his hand. 

“Willy, I need to tell you something.”

“Marty, where the hell is Syd?”

“They took her.” Matt shook with anger as he spoke the words. “The people that did this to Jax, they took Syd.” Willy didn’t look like he believed him. “I swear it’s true! They also tried to take Casey, Auston, and Kappy.”

“Wait, Kappy?” Willy put a hand on each of Matt’s shoulders. 

“Where is he?”

Matt stood up. “The motel, I can bring him back here.” He was about to head out when Willy snatched his wrist. “Like hell, I’m coming with you.” Matt shook his head. “Willy you really don’t have to-“

“I’m not going for you, I’m going for Kappy.” Willys eyes were fierce. Matt recognized that look, he’s had it many times when he thought Syd was in danger. Precisely why he held the look even now. 

Matt sighed. “Okay, but I really want to leave someone with Jax, he isn’t doing so good.” He was closer to death Matt liked to admit, but he pushed that worry down for later. 

Willy rolled his eyes. “Leave JT a message, he’ll come through.” Matt pulled out his phone and sent a quick text. He pointed out the door. 

“Alright let’s go.” Willy ran out towards the car, eager to find Kappy. Matt followed, though not before checking on Jax once more. 

Mark his words, those fuckers are going to pay. He slammed the door shut.   
—  
Matt sped down the road even faster than before. Willy clung onto his seat. “I think you’re going over the speed limit.” Matt rolled his eyes. “Is that really your main concern right now?”

“I would like not-dying before finally seeing Kappy again.”

“Have a little faith-“ Matt saw something that caused him to slam his foot on the brake. The car left skid marks in the road before finally coming to a complete stop. 

Willy glared at him. “Marty! What the fuck is wrong with you!-“ He shut up when he saw the fire. 

There was a car that was barely out of the parking lot, and it was on fire. 

Matt knew that car belonged to Hillary and Meghan. 

He bolted out of his car and ran straight into the motel. Willy bolted after him, still confused as to what the fuck was going on. 

Once they got inside Matt started running up and down the motel. “Hillary! Meghan!” Willy looked at a scrap of paper sitting on the front desk. 

“Auston! Kappy! Casey!” Matt’s voice broke as he shouted for them. They were right here. What happened to them?

“Marty.” Willy handed him the piece of paper. Matt gave him a questioning glance. “Read it.”

Matt looked down at the paper.. 

Hello, My Prize,   
They’re gone, all of them. I took your toys from you while you were trying to find your little fiance, but you know what? It’s not enough. I want you. You’re the whole reason I did this. So I’m coming for you.   
See you soon.   
Matt crumpled up the paper and threw it over his shoulder. His arms were shaking, and millions of thoughts were swirling around his head. They didn’t deserve this. The only thing they were guilty of was being friends with him. 

Matt took a deep breath and kicked the desk. He kept kicking it, shouting profanities in every language he knew. After taking his anger out on that he swung around to look at Willy. His blue eyes were wide with fear. 

“What now?” Willy asked, still unsure of the whole situation. Matt glared at the crumpled note, fire burning in his eyes. 

“I’m going to fucking kill them.”


	19. 19

Willy only had one thing on his mind whilst scanning the empty motel. 

What was going on? 

“Marty,” He turned to his friend. “Who was that note from?”

Matt stared the note with burning eyes. He seemed to be in a whole other world. Willy tried again. “Where are they?” Matt chuckled darkly. Willy narrowed his eyes and tried to put a hand on his shoulder. 

“Marty, where is Kappy-“

“Don’t you fucking get it?” Matt growled. Willy jumped back. He squared his shoulders, glaring at Willy.

“He’s gone, along with the rest of them. Those fucking sickos from the deep web kidnapped them all, and destroyed Hillary’s car-“ His eyes went wide in realization. 

“Fuck!”He ran outside. Willy followed him. “Marty!”

He expected Matt to stop at the car. Instead, he kept running for the door. Willy bolted to his side, wrapping his arms around his waist. 

“Fucker! They’re burning to death!” Matt shrieked. He kicked and flailed, doing anything in his power to try and escape Willy. The Swede only tightened his hold. 

“If Hillary and Meghan were in that car they’re dead! If your try to do anything you’ll just burn and kill yourself before we can find out where the others are!” Willy yelled at him. 

Matt slowed his fighting, eventually stopping all together. Willy still didn’t let go, not wanting to risk Matt running into the flames. Matt tipped his head down, trembling. 

“Spence.” Willy furrowed his brows. What does Spence have to do with anything? “What?”  
“My phone, I need to call Spence. Please Willy, let me go.” Matt’s voice cracked, almost like he was on the verge of tears. Reluctantly, Willy let go. Matt immediately pulled out his phone and called Spence. 

After the second ring he picked up. 

“Hello?” He sounded tired. 

“Spence, it’s Matt.” 

“Shit, Matt!” Spence was suddenly more alert. “What’s going on? You sound terrified.”  
Matt bit his lip.”They’re gone. 

“What?” 

“Auston,Casey, Kappy, they’re gone. They took them.” 

“What about Hillary and Meghan?” Spence questioned. 

Matt didn’t say anything. Spence inferred from the silence what happened. “Oh.” His voice grew quiet. Not wanting to confirm it, Spence moved on to another question. 

“How did you escape?” 

Matt tried to keep it together. 

“I didn’t, I just wasn’t here. This guy sent me a text about Syd and I wanted to make sure she was okay. I left to find her, and while I was gone..” he trailed off. 

Spence sighed. “Okay, fuck. Everyone’s gone. Fuck. Matt I’m going to tell you something absolutely insane, but it just might fix this.” Matt nodded. “Anything.”

“We go to them.”

Matt’s eyes widened. “What? That’s insane! You’re insane!”

Spence tried to reason. “They’re already after you, but they don’t expect you to come after them. You have an advantage here.”

Matt rolled his eyes. “How do I have an advantage? They have Syd, they have our friends, Spence what do we have that they don’t?”

Spence paused. “Well, we have their site.” Matt tried to fight his smirk.”Wait, you mean-“   
“Yep,” Spence interrupted. “I hacked into the site.”

“Holy shit Spence!” Matt yelled. He quickly covered his mouth and looked apologetically at Willy, who was glaring at him. He ran a hand through his hair. “Fuck, that’s awesome. You can get the police involved now, right?”

“It’s not that simple, I think they know someone is in their files, because my computer has been glitching like crazy. I can’t snoop much longer without risking them finding out where I live. However, I did find a location.”

Willy tapped Matt on the shoulder. “What are you talking about?” Matt waved him off to continue the conversation, ignoring his glare. “Where is it?”

“I’m sending it to your phone.” Matt heard a little beep come from his cell.”I don’t want you to confront them, I just want you to see who these people are. If you get a couple pictures and give them to the nearest police station we can finally stop this.”

Matt smiled. “Spence, you are a fucking badass.” He heard a chuckle on the other end. “You trust me, right Marty?” Matt nodded. “Of course.”

“Then get those photos.” He hung up. Matt glanced down at the location and smirked. They were so close to being free of this. Everyone was going to be okay. 

“Excuse me?” Oh right. Matt looked up to see an enraged Willy with crossed arms. Matt cocked an eyebrow. “What?”

Willy narrowed his eyes. “What the absolute fuck is going on?”

Matt chuckled. “Fuck, sorry Willy. Those guys I was telling you about, Spence knows where they are. We’re going there to snap photos of them and go to the police. This is almost over.” 

He smiled. 

Willy didn’t smile like Matt thought he would. Instead he somehow gave an even colder glare. 

“Are you sure you can trust him?”

Matt’s smile faded. “Of course I am.” Willy rolled his eyes. “If he doesn’t trust you with his identity, why should you trust him with not only yours, but everyone’s lives?”

Matt opened his mouth to say something, only to find that he couldn’t. 

Willy continued. “Marty, Spence could be with those psychos. He seems very familiar with the deep web, so much in fact that he hacked a site for criminals. Who’s to say he hasn’t hacked you?”

Matt glared at Willy. “I trust Spence.” Willy shook his head. 

“But is he trustworthy?”

They glared at each other, Willy’s suspicious eyes battling Matt’s optimistic ones. After a few moments Matt broke eye contact and walked back into the motel. Once inside he looked back down at the phone. His eyes widened at the address. 

They were at the fucking restaurant this entire fucking time.


	20. 20

CRNCH

Max continued to punch the wall. At this point nobody was stopping him. One of the nameless thugs who brought Auston and the others in had already carried Emma’s corpse out. Syd had overheard them talking about ‘disposing’ of the body. Max won’t even get to give her a funeral. 

She clenched her fists. It served them right after everything they did to her and Mitch. Especially after what they almost did. People like that are disgusting. They were scum. 

Syd’s eyes watered. It was pointless, she couldn’t be upset with someone who had just seen his sister killed. Despite the fact both him and Emma were the worst people Syd will ever come into contact with, they were family. Having your family ripped away from you like that, she didn’t wish it upon anyone. Not even someone as sadistic as Max. 

CRNCH

Syd looked next to her. She and the others were sitting on the floor in a collective huddle. THeir hands were tied to their backs, and no one dared to try and stand up. Ryan was glaring at Mac, Kappy was rubbing his side, seemingly in another place, and Auston-

Auston was at the boiling point. 

CRNCH

She was scared. They hurt her, they almost- to Mitch. She hated them. When Emma’s corpse fell to the ground Syd actually felt happy. She took joy in another human beings death. That frightens her more than anything that these people could ever do to her. 

CRNCH

The two remaining guards both looked down at their wrists, then walked out of the room. As soon as the door closed Max turned around to glare at the others. Syd could already feel something bad was going to happen. 

You.” He pointed a hand at Syd. “If it weren’t for you my sister would be alive.” He grabbed her by her hair. Syd shrieked as he used his other hand to punch her square in the jaw. Blood dribbled down her chin. She could taste copper. 

“Cunt!” He slammed her head into the floor. Auston leaned forward, hands still tied to his back. “Hey! Leave her the fuck alone!” Max turned to focus on Auston. “If this bitch had let Emma have her way with that Canadian fuck she would be alive right now”!

Auston’s eyes flickered. “What did you just say?” Max’s face softened. He smirked, and decided to have fun with the obviously protective boyfriend. 

“My sister was going to fuck him, and if it weren’t for this bitch she would still be alive.” Auston bared his teeth as he launched up into a standing position. 

“You fucking bastard.”

Max shrugged. “Maybe I can honor Emma by fucking that kid’s brains out for her.” 

Auston charged at him. Max caught him easily by the forearm and shoved him into the floor.Auston tried to stand back up only for Max to stop a foot onto his back. 

Max then leaned down to whisper to Auston. “I’m going to fuck him in front of you, and then I’m going to kill him.”

Auston screamed and propelled a foot upwards. He managed to kick Max in the face and send him flying back. Auston ran over to him with his hands still tied and proceeded to kick him over and over. At one point he hit him in the nose, earning a satisfying crack.

Max shrieked and kicked Auston in the shin. He fell onto his back. Max jumped on top of Auston’s chest and used one hand to hold his head to the floor. Blood gushed out of Max’s nose as he snarled. “I don’t care how much the boss is paying me, I’m going to beat the shit out of you.”

Max brought his fist into Auston’s jaw. He tasted blood. Another punc. The blood splattered onto the floor. His friends screamed his name, but it sounded far away. 

Max was pulled off of him within seconds. The guards from earlier were holding him. Auston watched from the floor as the same man who killed Emma took out his gun and pointed it at Max. He muttered something about a ‘second chance’ before pulling the trigger. The shot echoed as his body went limp. 

As the guards carried Max out the man yanked Auston towards the others. His eyes seemed drained of all emotion, no more sparkle. He dropped Auston by Syd and left the room. The door clicked loudly, signaling a lock that none of them could hope to break. 

Syd pulled Auston’s head in her lap, tilting his face to the side so the blood wouldn’t sit in his throat. He looked up to see her eye was swollen, and that she had a busted lip. Within moments Casey and Kappy were in view too. 

“You’re an idiot.” Syd said. Auston shrugged. “What’s new?”

Kappy bit his lip as he looked down. “I can't believe they almost-they didn’t right?” Kappy looked to Syd. She sighed. 

“No, but they came close. The worst she did was cut him on the hip. Auston and Kappy’s eyes widened in horror. 

Syd narrowed her eyes. “What?” She gasped. “Wait, did she do that to any of you?” Tears fell down Kappy’s face. Casey put an arm around him, and he sobbed into his shoulder. Syd gaped at him. “Kappy, I’m so sorry.”

Auston pushed himself up. “They were going to- to Mitchy?” The previous fury returned to his eyes. He looked at Syd’s beaten face, at Casey’s many cuts and bruises, and finally at Emma’s name carved into Kappy’s waist. The name would forever be scarred on both his and Mitchy’s skin. 

Auston’s eyes darkened. “I am going to kill those fuckers.” 

Syd glared at him. “Aus, you don’t stand a chance.” 

“I don’t care. They hurt you, they hurt Casey, they did that to..” He trembled with fury. 

“I’m going to kill them all.”

They were silent after that. Kappy’s sobs filled the room as they all waited for something else to happen.


	21. 21

The car was enveloped in a tense silence. Neither Willy nor Matt had made a move to speak after their argument on Spence. In Matt’s mind however, there was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. 

What if Spence was with them?

It was a possibility, though Matt didn’t want to believe it. Spence has a strange knowledge of the deep web, and he is an unusually skilled hacker for someone who just works on video games. 

Then there was another important factor, one that Matt hadn’t come to think about until Willy ha pointed it out. 

Spence’s identity was a secret. 

He’s never exposed himself to Matt. Though he liked to think it was for personal reasons, there was an equally good chance that Spence was anonymous for other reasons. 

Matt pulled the car up next to the curb and stopped it. He turned to Willy. “We have to be quiet.” 

“Well of course we do, there are kidnappers in there.” Willy reminded him. Matt rolled his eyes. “I know, but I still have to take pictures for Spence. If something strange is going on, let me know.” 

Willy sighed. “Alright.” Matt smirked and opened his door. Willy and him left the car and began their walk to the restaurant. 

After a couple minutes Willy groaned. “Why did you park so far away?” Matt glared at him. 

“They know my car. If I had parked any closer they would’ve known what was up.” Willy sighed. “It’s freezing.” 

“Sorry! I can’t change the fucking weather!”

“Okay, what if your deal?” Willy stopped to glare at Matt. Matt narrowed his eyes before also stopping. “Spence would never hurt me or anyone.”

“Don’t you think he knows a little too much? If he's anything like us then he shouldn’t even be snooping through those sites.” 

“He was trying to be a good friend! Why is that so hard for you to believe?” Matt straightened his shoulders as he looked Willy in the eye.

Willy crossed his arms. “If he’s so amazing how come he couldn’t save Kappy?” His eyes brimmed with tears. Matt’s glare softened as he realized the reason Willy was so pissed. 

“Willy, I know you’re worried, but we’re going to save Kappy. We’re going to save him and Syd, everyone. You know how?” Willy shook his head. Matt smirked. “With Spence.”

Willy used his hand to wipe the tears out of his eyes. He half-smiled at Matt. “Thank you.” Matt waved his hand. “I know what you’re feeling. When I realized Syd was-“ he paused. 

“When she wasn’t there, I wanted to blame everyone, still do, but that’s not right. Spence is going to help us save her and everyone else, including Kappy.” He looked into Willy’s eyes with a spark lighting his own.

“I trust Spence.”

Willy sighed. “Okay, then so do I.” Matt smiled and gestured down the sidewalk. “C’mon, we’re one step closer to our friends.” The two both walked next to each other. The two both walked next to each other. 

Within minutes, the restaurant came into view. Matt scowled at it. To think the very place he had enjoyed a meal with Syd at was the place she was being held captive. Cruel, but also funny in it’s own screwy way. 

Matt stuck his hand out and motioned Willy to stop. He then pulled out his phone. He could see two people conversing in the window. He crouched down with Willy so they’d remain out of view. 

Matt snapped some pictures. Once he felt he had a satisfying amount he sent them to Spence. His phone glitches and the screen rapidly flickered from normal to blue. Matt furrowed his brow and tried to tap the home screen. Before his finger could even touch anything the phone went black.

“What?” Matt tried to turn it back on. Nothing happened. He looked to Willy. “I can’t get it to work!” Willy opened his mouth to say something. 

“There he is!” Matt’s blood ran cold as the people inside the restaurant point out the window. He turned to run only for someone to grab him by his shoulders. 

He wriggled and fought. “Willy!” Matt opened his eyes wide and checked to make sure Willy was okay. You could imagine the surprise on his face when he saw him standing perfectly still, no one holding onto him. 

“What are you doing? Run!” Matt shouted. Willy stood still, biting his lip. He refused to look up. 

“Willy?” What was going on? He wasn’t moving. Was he frozen with fear?

A man walked up next to Willy. “You did good.” Matt’s eyes widened. “Willy?”

He forced himself to hold eye contact with Matt. There was so much confusion written on Matt’s face. What was Willy doing? Why won’t he help? 

Willy mouthed the words ‘I’m sorry’ as something flickered in his eyes. Matt felt his heart stop as he realized what emotion that was. 

Guilt. 

“I’ll be fucking damned, it’s the actual Matt Martin!” A man walked out of the building to gaze at Matt. It was the same max from Casey’s exchange. He walked over to Willy. “You’ve done what’s asked of you, you’re free to go.” 

Willy took a step back. “And Kappy?” The man turned to his side. “Hm?” Willy clenched his fists. “The only reason I did all of this was so you’d give up Kappy. Where is he?”

“Sorry, the boss had a change of plans. He’s keeping him.” 

“That wasn’t part of the deal! You can’t keep Kappy!” The man shrugged and turned back to Matt. Willy trembled with anger. 

“I only did this for him!” Willy’s eyes welled with tears again as he launched at the man. The guy reached into his coat. As soon as Matt saw the glint of metal he shouted. “Willy!” THe Swede looked down in time to see the revolver. 

His eyes met Matt’s one last time before the trigger was pulled.


	22. 22

Willy wiped the tears from his eyes as he sat on the living room couch. Still no sign of Kappy. It’s been almost an entire day, and he hasn’t so much as sent a text Willy’s way. This wasn’t normal. He wouldn’t just go off and disappear like that! Willy didn’t care what Syd said, that wasn’t Kappy. 

Willy sighed and reached into his pocket for his phone. He turned it on to see if Kappy had in any way contacted him. His heart dropped when he saw that the only messages he got were from Syd asking if Kappy was back. 

Where was he? Wily ran a hand through his hair. Something horrible happened, that’s the only explanation. 

But what?

What in the world happened to Kasperi Kapanen?

A growling noise emitted from Willy’s abdomen. He hadn't eaten since he realized Kappy was gone. The sound got louder. Willy gave in to the pain and decided to eat something. 

He walked to his fridge, only to realize he and Kappy were supposed to get groceries today.   
Holding back tears, Willy grabbed his wallet and left the apartment. 

It was surprisingly quiet for the city. Almost nobody was out in the streets. That however also made the darkness more noticeable. Willy pulled his jacket around him tighter. Maybe he’d fine Kappy on his trip to the store?

Something in his gut told him that wasn’t likely.

He felt a vibration in his pocket. Willy pulled out his phone, ready to ask Syd to stop texting him. His eyes widened when he read the name. 

Kappy

Willy slid his thumb across the screen to read the text, heart pounding in his chest. Where was he?

Kappy: Hey Willy, sorry for not answering. Meet me by that new restaurant, I’ll explain then.   
Willy sighed in relief. He’s okay. Kappy is okay. 

Willy had no idea what he would’ve done to himself if that weren’t the case. 

He started walking towards the restaurant Kappy was talking about. They had been meaning to go there together, maybe now they could. Whilst they ate Kappy could explain what in the fuck he was doing all day and Willy could scold him. Willy smiled at the thought. He loved being around Kappy. 

As soon as he walked inside a man with chocolate eyes led him to where Kappy supposedly was. Willy followed quietly, a little puzzled that he didn't see any customers. Willy grew even more puzzled when said man led him to the kitchen. 

The look of confusion turned to fear when Willy saw the three men with guns. 

He tried to run but one of the men grabbed onto his waist. Willy squealed as he was shoved into the wall. The man holding him took a syringe out and grinned. 

“Hold up, Boss wanted to talk to this guy.” The man who escorted Willy in here then pulled out a phone and hit speaker. Within seconds a deep, mysterious voice filled the room. 

“William Nylander! My, you must be scared shitless right now.” Willy didn’t say a word. 

“Now Will, I wanted to ask you a favor. I want you to bring me Matt Martin.” 

Willy snarled. “Fuck you.”

“If you help me out I might just be able to bring a certain blonde-haired boy back to you.” Willy tried to lunge at the phone. “Kappy? Where is he? What did you do to him?”

The voice gave a low whistle. “Aren’t you a feisty one? He’s currently in our hands, but not for long if you don’t help.” 

Willy grit his teeth. “How do I know you aren’t lying?” The voice chuckled. “Show him.”

The man holding the phone put on a video and showed it to Wily. It was of Kappy’s bedroom. Kappy was sound asleep in his bed.

Willy watched in horror as two men walked into the window. They both went on either side of Kappy’s bed. One held him down while the other injected him with something. Tears fell down Willy’s face as he watched his friend try to fight the serum. 

“So?” The voice beckoned. Willy bit his lip. Kapy was his best friend. No one was more important to Willy than Kappy. 

He refused to look up, already hating what he was going to say. “Okay.”  
—  
Willy scratched his wrist as the men surrounded him and Matt. He didn't want to do this. Matt didn’t deserve any of this.

But neither did Kappy.   
“Willy?” Matt sounded so broken. Willy’s lip quivered as he mouthed the words ‘I’m sorry’. Matt’s blue eyes widened in horror. The only thing keeping Willy from trying to help him was the hough of Kappy’s blue eyes displaying the same fear. 

“I’ll be fucking damned, it's the actual Matt Martin!” A man walked out of the building to gaze at Matt. He walked over to Willy. “You’ve done what’s asked of you, you’re free to go.” 

Willy took a step back. “And Kappy?” The man turned to his side. “Hm?” Willy clenched his fists. “The only reason I did all this was so you’d give up Kappy. Where is he?” 

“Sorry, the boss had a change of plans. He’s keeping him.”

Willy’s heart stopped. This couldn’t be happening. 

“That wasn’t part of the deal! You can’t keep Kappy!” The man shrugged and turned back to Matt. Willy trembled with anger. “I only did this for him!” Willy’s eyes welled with tears again as he launched at the man. The guy reached into his coat. As soon as Matt saw the glint of metal he shouted. “Willy!” The Swede looked down in time to see the revolver. 

He looked back at Matt. His blue eyes were welling with tears. Blue, like Kappy. 

Was this worth it?

He is going to die, and Matt is going to be abducted. Was Kappy really worth that much?   
It wasn’t even a question. 

Yes. 

BANG


	23. 23

“No!” Matt cried. “You fuckers! How could you?” He flailed and kicked at his kidnapper. “Willy!” Matt tried to look for any sign that he was breathing. 

Who was he kidding? No one survives a bullet to the head. 

Willy’s eyes rolled into his head as he fell back. Matt screeched and cried. A hand clamped over his mouth as the man who shot him came forward. “Look at him idiot, do you see blood?”  
Matt looked back to Willy saw saw that there was not a bloody hole in his head, but rather a dart. They tranquilized him. He was still alive. 

But for how long?   
Another man scooped Willy up and walked into the restaurant. The thug holding Matt followed. As they moved past the empty tables and towards the kitchen, Matt noticed how this place never seemed to be open after he and Syd ate there. Was this entire establishment in on it? 

The door to the kitchen opened, but not into a kitchen. Matt gawked at the long haul full of doors. It was like walking into a hotel. The floor was carpeted, and the doors that were opened displayed beds and little tables. Maybe this place used to be a fancy hotel with its own restaurant?

After a little walking they stopped outside a large set of doors. The man who shot Willy slammed the doors open. Quite an entrance. 

“Boss! We just snagged the real Matt Martin! Matthew Martin at your request!” He did a little bow before pointing at Matt. “Splendid, now he can join his friends.”

Wait, friends? Matt looked at the table. 

His heart stopped after he saw who the boss meant. 

They were all here. Auston, Kappy,Casey, and Syd all sat on the same side of a long table. The only one missing was Mitch. Matt pushed down his worry for the kid to take a look at the fucker behind it all. 

On one end of the table, sipping a cup of tea, was the boss. He had brown-blonde hair that was neatly combed, slight tan, green eyes, and a suit. He looked more like a young businessman than anything else. 

“Matt Martin, what a delight.” He gestured to the chair across from him. “Care to join?””

Matt was shoved into the chair. He scanned his friends, noticing the many wounds. Syd’s swollen eye and busted lip nearly made him scream. 

The boss took a sip of tea. “So sorry that I had to get William to lure you here, but he was the easiest to manipulate. I mean I already had Kasperi, the rest was practically given to me.” Kappy stared at the boss with a look of shock written on his face. 

The boss smirked. “ I see he put up a bit of a fight.” The man holding Willy walked into view. 

The others gasped, and Kappy tried to move out of his seat. One of the men pulled out a gun and aimed it at Willy. “Wouldn’t want to end the reunion so soon, now would we?” Tears pricked Kappy’s eyes as he reluctantly sat down. 

Auston glared at the boss. “You just can’t stop, can you? You’re fucking insane.” 

“Now, Mitch is okay at the moment, but with the snap of my fingers he could be just as broken and bloody as he was when Emma stabbed him. I suggest you simmer down, Auston.” 

Auston’s eyes widened in fear as he clamped his mouth shut. 

“My names Jacob Smith, so Matt, any new plays you’ve thought of?”

What? Matt narrowed his eyes. “Are you fucking serious? You kidnapped and abused friends, and possibly killed some other.” He pushed away thoughts of Hillary and Meghans burnt corpses. 

“Just to get to me? Are you obsessed with me that much?” 

Jacob chuckled dryly. “Actually, I’m not obsessed with you, in fact, I despise you.” 

Matt tensed. What? 

Jacob put his cup of tea down to smile at Matt. “I used to love watching you and your teammates. At one point I was a fan. That all changed when you took away my fiance. My girlfriend, we met though fans. We both loved hockey. After almost a year of dating I was ready to propose. When I asked her, she told me she was in love with someone else. I asked her who. And you know what she told me? She told me she was in love with someone else/ I asked her who. And you know what she told me? She told me she was in love with Matt Martin.” 

Matt shook his head. “I’m in love with Sydney, I have no idea who you’re talking about.” Jacob glared at Matt. “That’s precisely my point. She knew everything about you, yet you never once acknowledged her existence. There was no way you were going to love her back. So she took her own life.” 

He stood up and walked over to Matt. Jacob snatched him by the hair. “You’re the reason she’s gone. You only do things for yourself, the rest of us are nothing to you.”

Matt gave no indication he felt the hand tugging on his hair. “I’m sorry about your girlfriend, but I didn’t cause her death. She must’ve had problems, and as her boyfriend you should’ve been the one helping her.”

Jacob froze. “You think I could’ve stopped her death?” Matt said nothing. He grinned and brought his face close. He whispered only so Matt could hear. 

“You’re the reason she’s gone. You’re the reason the others will be gone too.” 

He let go of Matt and reached into his pocket, pulling out a knife. Matt’s heartbeat sped up as Jacob walked by his friends. His footsteps echoed around the room as he hummed. He stopped by Casey and placed his hand on his scalp. 

“Eenie.” He did the same to Kappy. “Meenie.”

Matt felt himself start to cry. “Please no.”

He ran a hand through Auston’s hair. “Minie.” He stopped at Syd, who trembled at his touch. “Moe.” He walked over to Willy. “Catch a-“ He swirled back to Ryan. “Tiger.” 

Matt tried to stand again, but someone held him down. Jacob ran the edge alone Kappy’s neck mockingly. “By its. “He smiled at Auston. “Toe.”

Jacob walked by Syd once more. “Eenie.” Past Willy. “Meenie” Past Ryan. “Minie.” He stopped at Kappy. “Moe.”

Matt waited for him to continue, but he stayed standing there. Jacob has chosen. “No!” Matt tried to fight the man holding him in his seat. The others did the same, all trying to save Kappy. Jacob leaned towards his ear. “You’re it.”

Kappy clenched his eyes shut and braced himself for the worst. Willy slowly opened his eyes. “Wha-Kappy?” His eyes widened in horror. “Kappy!” He bolted to Jacob, who was unaware that he was awake. Willy tackled him to the ground. They fought with the knife for a few moments before Jacob yanked it back. He shoved Willy onto his back. Kappy tried to move in to help, but someone else had decided to keep him there.

Jacob snarled. “I change my mind. You’re it. He brought the knife back. 

That’s when the lights went out.


	24. 24

For a single moment no one said anything. They all just sat in the darkness. 

Then there were gunshots. 

Matt snapped out of his trance and jumped out of the chair. The man who was previously holding onto him was too confused to realize he had escaped. It was too dark to see anything. Matt put his hands on the edge of the table. Using his hands to guide him, he made his way around. As Matt followed the edge of the able he found that the gunshots were getting louder and more frequent. His hand reaches someone’s arm.Casey. 

Matt grabbed onto him. At first, Casey panicked. “Casey! It’s me!” Matt shouted over the gunshots. Casey didn’t say anything, he just got out of the chair. Matt repeated the action with the others, stopping at Syd. Once he felt her hand he grasped it tightly, afraid of letting go. Syd squeezed his hand back, already knowing who it was. Matt pulled her up.

“Where are we going?” Auston asked amongst the shooting. They still had to get to Willy, but how could they get past the bullets. Matt was about to speak when the gunshots stopped. The lights flicked back on. 

Willy was standing behind a stranger. All the guards were on the floor, dead or unconscious, Matt didn’t care. He looked to see who had done it. 

The man stood in the middle of the room, a pistol in each hand. He had a on a pair of night vision goggles. Matt immediately recognized the logo on his hoodie. 

“No fucking way?’ Matt wasn’t about to thank this guy if he turned out to be as sadistic as the original kidnappers. 

The man smiled and moved his googled up, displaying bright blue eyes. “Guys. The offseason just started, how are you already in this much shit? .”

Auston put both his hands out. “Hold on, how did you manage to defeat all these men?” Morgan shrugged. “I had a little help.” 

“By that he means me.” An all too familiar voice crackled in the speakers. Matt grinned. 

“Spence, you fucking badass.” Spence chuckled. “At your service.” 

“Kappy!” Willy cried. He ran straight over to his friend, enveloping him in his arms. Kappy hugged back tears falling down his face. “I thought I’d never see you again.” 

Kappy said nothing, only focusing on the feel of Willy’s arms wrapped around him. Matt glanced at Syd. He knew exactly how those two were feeling. 

He wrapped his arms around Syd, hugging her probably tighter than he should have. She didn’t notice, instead hugging back even tighter. “No one is going to hurt you like that again.” He whispered. Syd blinked back tears, I just want to hold you.” 

After a few seconds they pulled apart, though still holding hands. Matt looked back to Willy, who had just then noticed the scar on Kappy. He decided to leave them be and speak to Jai and Spence. 

“Okay, I would like some information, mostly on how the hell you were both able to do this.” Matt said. Morgan rolled his eyes. “Well, Jake and I have been working with a couple of underground friends to try and help victims of the deep web.” 

“Wait-hold on. Jake? How did I never notice your voice?” Matt asked, feeling dumb. 

“I have a voice modifier. Sorry, bro,” Jake said, turning the modifier off. 

Jake continued on. “We’ve stopped a few slave trades, returning those people to their families. With my hacking and Morgani’s amazing stealth, we have exposed dozens of large-scale criminals to the police. That’s why when we found out about the site we stepped in.” 

Morgan pulled out his phone. “We knew they were targeting people close to Matt, so I tried to text you warnings.” Syd and Auston both blushed. Matt recalled the moment he bumped into Morgan on the street. “How come you didn’t just tell me what was going on? And how did I not recognize you?”

“Technology man. Amazing thing.” Jake said. 

“They were after you all along Matt. If I had told you then you would’ve just handed yourself in.Jake and I were trying to expose them before anything big would happen. Which we did not do very well.” 

Jake chimed in. “So now we’re going to have to figure out a way to get you out of here safely.” His voice was laced with worry. Matt was confused. 

“So? They’re all dead. We’re all safe now, aren’t we?

Morgan scratched the back of his neck. “They’re not all dead.” Matt tightened his hold on Syd’s hand. “What?” 

Jake spoke again. “These aren’t all of Jacob’s men, he has more people in the building. If we don’t hurry we’ll have to deal with them as well.”

Willy held Kappy even tighter, accidentally irritating his cuts. “You’re telling me there are even more fuckers in here? How much money does this Jaco guy have to pay them all?” 

Auston narrowed his eyes. “But didn’t you just kill Jacob?” Morgan sighed. “I don’t see his corpse anywhere.” 

He must’ve left during the blackout. Matt glanced between his friends worriedly. Then it clicked. 

Mitchy! He went back for him!” Auston’s eyes widened in horror. “We don’t know where he is!”   
Morgan stared at the ceiling. “Jake, you’ve hacked the systems, can you give us a location?’ 

Jake hummed for a second. “Hang on….Okay! He’s in the med-room but the camera is frozen. I only know that he’s been in there, but that could’ve changed.” 

Matt nodded. “It’s our only lead, we have to take it.” Jake countered him. “I can’t see how many people could be in there with hi, For all we know, the rest of Jacob’s men are there.”

It was Syd’s turn to pipe up. “We’re not going to leave him! Can’t you turn the lights off again? Maybe Morgan can sneak in.” 

Morgan nodded. “I can do it, I’ll be okay Jake.” 

“Um guys.” Casey interrupted. The others turned to him. “Yeah ?” Matt asked. 

“Where’s Auston?”


	25. 25

Auston bolted down the hall, Mitch the only thing on his mind. He didn’t wait to hear what the others were planning, he knew they would take too long. 

He rounded another corner. The med-room shouldn’t be too far, this was a hotel after all. A one-story one at that. It wouldn’t take much longer.Tears pricked his eyes at images of Mitch beaten and bloody filled his head. Jacob had said he was alive, so maybe he was in better condition?

After almost being killed, however, Jacob could’ve had a change of heart. 

No. 

Auston wasn’t going to let anything happen to him. Mitch was his boyfriend, he wasn’t going to lose him. He didn’t care if he had to fight every guard with his bare hands. They weren’t going to lay another finger on Mitch. 

Auston tripped and fell face-first into the carpet. Groaning, he pushed himself up. He might’ve avoided that if he weren’t so focused on Mitch. 

He still didn’t care. A busted lip is preferable to a dead boyfriend. 

Auston got himself back on his feet and continued his run. A sign down the hall caught his eye. Medical. He wasted no time in bolting over. 

The door was closed, which only worried him more. He placed his palm around the knob, only to find that it wouldn’t budge. Locked.

Auston looked around, spotting a cart in one of the rooms. The kinds that those maids used. He rolled it out of the room and positioned it in front of the door. He then moved it back a little. He took a deep breath and rammed it into the door. 

It sprung open, creating a large amount of noise. Auston wasn’t thinking of it much. His focus was only on the person sitting on the medical bed, shirtless and bandaged. 

“Mitchy!” Auston cried. Mitch looked up with surprise in his eyes. “Auston?” Auston bolted over to his bedside. 

He wrapped his arms around Mitch gently, making sure not to stress the obviously-painful wounds. The bandages covered Mitch’s wrists, hips, and lower-chest. So many future scars.   
Although the people who did this to him were already dead, Auston still felt the need to make somebody pay. 

After a few moments he pulled away. “Are you okay? They didn’t hurt you again did they?” Mitch shook his head. “When I woke up the room was empty. I’m fine.”

Auston looked at the wounds. “This whole thing has fucked everyone up.” His eyes darkened. “I’m going to make those fuckers pay.”

He felt a pair of hands on the sides of his face. Auston looked to see Mitch with tears in his eyes. “Don’t, you’re going to get yourself killed.” 

Auston shook his head.”Mitchy, they have to die.”

“Then let the police do it! We don’t have to be a part of this anymore. Let’s just go, please?” The tears finally fell down his face as his voice cracked. “I don’t want to lose you.”

It wasn’t worth it. Auston knew that, Mitch certainly knew that. If Auston even tried to do anything it would only end up with him killed. That would hurt Mitch more than those kidnappers ever could. 

Auston quickly kissed Mitch before pulling him in for another hug. “Okay.” Mitch hugged back as his body started to shake. Auston let him cry into his shoulder, running a hand through his hair. 

They weren’t worth it. 

After Mitch’s crying died down the couple pulled apart. Auston smiled. “C’mon, the others are waiting.” Mitch’s face lit up. “You all escaped?” Auston chuckled. “Almost, we just had to get you.” He grabbed Mitch’s hand in his own. “Let’s go.” 

Mitch beamed as he got off the bed. Auston led him towards the door. They were going to get out of this. 

A bullet whizzed straight through Auston’s left leg. He shrieked and fell down on one knee. Mitch crouched down and frantically tried to help. Both men froze in fear when a gun was held up to Auson’s head. 

“You two fuckers are coming with me.” Jacob growled. His suit was torn on one arm, where a little blood was showing. He moved the gun to Mitch’s head. “We used the last of the gauze on you, give it.” 

MItch slowly moved his hands to the gauze on his hip, unwrapping it.Auston felt his heart drop when he saw half of Emma’s name there. She only ever made it to Em, but it would still scar.   
Jacob cursed.

“Fuck, she marked you like you were hers.” He snatched the gauze from Mitch and wrapped it tightly around his shoulder. Once he was satisfied he looked back to Mitch. 

“Get on the bed.”

His blue eyes widened in fear. 

“W-What?” Jacob glared. “You heard me, get on the bed.” 

Auston stood up, ignoring the white hot pain in his leg. “Don’t you lay a fucking hand on him.”  
Jacob pointed the gun at Auston for a second before smiling. “He is mine. I just need to remind him of that.” 

Auston snarled. “Like hell you will!” He tackled Jacob onto the ground. The gun slid from his hands. “Fuck!” They both wrestled until Auston managed to pin him.

“There! You have no leverage!” Jacob looked behind him and grinned. “I wouldn’t say that.”

Auston snapped his head behind him to see one of Jacob's’ goons holding Mitch at gunpoint. “Mitch?”Jacob took the opportunity to shove Auston off of him. He then stood and stomped his foot into the bullet wound. Auston shrieked as his vision tinged with blackness. He was powerless as another goon grabbed a hold of him. Jacob nodded to the thug holding Mitch. 

He dropped him onto the floor.   
Jacob walked over to Mitch and grabbed him by the hair. He leaned down so his lips brushed his ear. “Get on the bed.” Mitch shakily stood up and sat on the bed as he was told. Auston watched in horror as Jacob pushed him onto his back. 

He then tried to climb onto his chest.  
Mitch kicked him off, sending him onto the floor. “Stay the fuck away!” Jacob growled and picked the gun off the floor. He then aimed it at Mitch’s head.

“I don’t care if you shoot me, I’m not going to fucking give in.” Mitch spat. 

Jacob chuckled and pointed the gun at Auston. “I could shoot him right now you know.” Mitch’s eyes widened in horror. 

“No!” Mitch cried. He blinked back his tears. “Don’t hurt anyone else.” Jacob grinned. “Then I guess we’re settled!” He crawled back onto Mitch, who tried not to tremble anymore than he already had. 

Jacob ran a hand through Mitch’s hair as he leaned in. Mitch turned his head away before his lips could touch him. Jacob angrily yanked his hair, causing him to yelp. “Don’t you fucking move.” 

He then placed his hand on his hip, letting his thumb trace the scar. “Disgusting, I need to fix that.”

Auston tried to free himself, but it was pointless. All he could do was watch as Jacob pulled out a knife. He held it to Mitch’s hip. “Don’t cry, this was bound to happen sooner or later.” He dug it into his skin, reopening the cuts. Jacob cut jagged lines into Mitch’s hip as he cried. Auston couldn’t take his sounds of pain any longer. 

“Stop!” Auston cried. Jacob grinned. “You don’t like it when I hurt him? Aw, you’re so protective.” His eyes darkened. “That’s a trait that can get you killed.” Jacob then brought his lips next to Mitch’s ear. Mitch shivered as he felt his breath against his skin.

“Settle down toy.”He stuck his hand in the waist of Mitch’s jeans. 

“Boss, they’re coming.” Another guard had shown up. Jacob grinned. “Let’s move this back to the main room, I want Matt to see exactly what he’s caused.” He got off of Mitch and told the other guard to grab him. Jacob then walked out of the room. 

The two guards followed, each holding onto one of the friends. Auston looked to Mitch, who was still in a state of shock. His eyes focused on nothing in particular as he started to sob. Auston balled his hands into fists as tears fell down his cheeks. 

I’m sorry Mitchy. I’m going to kill them. 

Even if it means I die as well.


	26. 26

“Where’s Auston?” Casey asked. 

Matt glanced around. He was right here, what happened? 

His eyes widened as he realized where Auston had gone.”Mitchy, he went to find Mitchy.”  
Jake cursed. “I thought that would happen. I should have waited before giving the location.” 

Morgan shook his head. “It’s not your fault Jake. Auston is Mitch’s boyfriend, he’ll risk neck and limb for him.” Matt looked up. “Where’s the med-room?”

Willy clung onto Kappy’s hand. There’s no way we’re going ot there! You saw what they’re capable for, they have the advantage.” He pointed at the door. “We can leave now and call the police. They’ll save Auston and Mitch.”

Jake sighed. “The police aren’t going to be of any help. Morgan and I have tried. They’re never fast enough. By the time they get here Jacob will be long gone.” 

“So you’re saying their lives are more valuable than ours?” Willy glared at the speakers. 

“We’re not going.” 

Casey groaned. “Of course you’d be the first one to abandon them.” Willy narrowed his eyes “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

Casey chuckled dryly. “You were willing to hand over Marty just like that. Who knows! Maybe you’re still working with Jacob.” 

“They were going to hurt Kappy!” Willy rolled his eyes. “You don’t even fucking know what I’ve been through.”

“What you’ve been through?” Casey snarled. “I was kidnapped from my home, flown to another country, and just when I thought it was over they took me again.” He stepped forward.”So go ahead and tell me what you’ve been through.”

Matt scratches the back of his neck. “Guys-“ 

“That doesn’t compare to not knowing where your bestfriend is. Your best friend who tells you everything. Who texts you whenever they leave.” Willy’s eyes filled with tears. “I’d rather be the one being fucking tortured than having no clue what the fuck happened to my best friend! His life matters more!” 

Casey gestured to Matt. “More than his?” Willy realized his mistake. “No, that's not-“ 

“Really?” Casey’s tone was sour. “It seems to me like that’s what you meant when you traded him in.”

Willy bit his lip and stared at his feet. Casey continued to glare at him. Nobody else dared to speak. 

Nobody except for a certain blonde haired woman.

Syd tugged on Matt’s arm. “C’mon!” Matt planted his feet. “Syd hold on-“ 

“No! I saw what they did to Mitch. If Jacob is even half as twisted as them..”She shook her head. “We have to go!”

Matt nodded and looked to Morgan. “You can protect us, right?” Morgan yanked both his pistols back out. “Of course.” 

“Then it’s settled.” He glared at Willy and Casey. “We’re going.” 

Willy shook his head. “I can’t risk Kappy, I’m sorry.” Kappy glared at him. “Since when do you decide what’s best for me?” Willy furrowed his brow in confusion. “Kappy, you’re hurt-“ 

“And?” Kappy yanked his hand away. “So is everyone else. MItch was unconscious the last I saw him. Both him and Auston need our help.” He eyes burned into Willy’s. “I’m going.”

Willy opened his mouth to speak, only to find he didn’t have any words. Kapy sighed. “Please just agree with me on this.” Willy contemplated it for a second before sighing. “Fine.” 

Kappy smiled. “There’s the Willy I know.” He grabbed his hand and turned to Matt. “We’re ready.” 

Matt smirked. “Alright Jake, lead the way!” 

Jake’s voice filled the room. “Two lefts and a right. The med-room should be right there.”Morgan grinned. “Let’s go.” 

The group ran behind Morgan. Matt was at the front with Syd and Casey on either side. Behind them were Kappy and Willy. 

Somebody rounded a corner. Morgan shot before he could even register what was going on. Syd clung onto Matt. “How can you kill so easily?” Morgan shrugged. “I just think about what they would’ve done to someone else. Trust me, it’s for the best.” Syd nodded, though didn’t look at the corpse. 

They took a left. One guard.Morgan took him down just as easily as the last. Another left. Two guards. Morgan shot one. The other shot back. Everyone except Morgan hit the ground and wrapped their arms over their heads. Morgan simply dodged the bullet and shot the guy in the head.

Jake’s voice spoke up again. “A right, and then you should see it.” 

The group turned and sure enough, there it was. The door was closed. Morgan held his hand out to stop the others. He raised a finger to his lips so they would know to be silent. He then took out his pistol and stared at the door. He took a deep breath, and kicked the door in. 

Morgan lowered his pistol and cocked his head. Matt narrowed his eyes. Something wasn’t right. 

“Are they okay?” He asked. Morgan turned around.

“They’re not in here.”

Matt’s heartbeat sped up. “What?” He ran past Morgan into the empty room. His eyes scanned his surroundings, stopping at some blood staining the tile. His stomach twisted as he thought of the worst. 

Syd walked up beside Matt and gasped. She grabbed his hand to steady herself. “Where are they?” Matt bit his lip. “I don’t know.” 

Morgan scratched his head. “Jake can you hack into the other cameras?” 

Jake’s voice was laced with worry. “Um, I..” He trailed off. Morgan cocked an eyebrow. 

“Jake?”

“It’s kicking me out.” Morgan’s eyes went wide. 

“What?” Jake cursed.

“Somebody’s kicking me out of the system. I lost the cameras, the map layout.. Fuck! I’m about to lose the speake-“ His voice cut off.

Morgan started to panic. “Jake”? Jake?” A loud beep signaled everyone to look at a monitor that was on the wall across from the bed. Nobody had noticed it before then. 

Matt’s stomach dropped as an image of Jacob filled the screen. He grinned. “I know you’re watching Matt, and before you ask, I’ve kicked out your little hacker. You’re not going to be able to turn off the lights and send your assassin out to get me. However, you can join a livestream of your friends.” He moved out of the way to show the table, where Auston and Mitchy were sitting. 

Syd started to tremble as she squeezed Matt’s hand. He didn’t squeeze back, instead focusing on the screen. Jacob walked behind the table to stand in between the two friends.. Both of them stared at something else, trying extremely hard not to look at the camera. Jacob grinned. 

“You like games, don’t ya Matt?”


	27. 27

This can’t be happening. 

On the screen, terrified and hurt, were Auston and Mitch. Mitch was shirtless with bandages on his chest. The camera was far back enough that the group could see a little bit under the table as well. Auston had a bullet wound in his leg, and was losing blood. Auston was now focused on glaring at Jacob, but Mitch had his eyes off screen. What was he staring at? 

Matt stared in horror as Jacob teased each of his friends. He would go from twirling Mitch’s hair to squeezing Auston’s arm. It was painfully casual, which made Matt even more anxious as to what was on the horizon. 

“You like games, don’t you Matt?” Jacob placed both his palms on the table and leaned towards the camera. 

“Because I like games. Do you want to watch us play a game?” He gestured to Mitchy and Auston. “I mean, that’s what hockey games are, and I know you love those.” He smiled and took out a gun. 

“ A little Russian Roulette never hurt anyone.” Jacob emptied all of the bullets out of his revolver. All except for one that is. He then placed it on the table and gave it a spin. When it stopped spinning it landed on Auston. 

“Ah, not your lucky day, now is it Auston?” Jacob cooed. He picked the gun up and held it against Auston’s temple. 

Mitchy spoke up. “Can’t we play something else?”

Jacob smiled at Mitch. “Don’t worry, you and I get to play something else later.” Both Auston’s and Mitch’s eyes went wide. Syd squeezed Matt’s hand. She had a feeling she knew what Jacob wanted to ‘play’ with Mitch. 

Jacob returned his attention to Auston. “Ready? 1..” He pulled the trigger. 

Auston’s body tensed for a second, but no bullet came out. Matt let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. 

“I guess you were lucky.” He then moved the gun to MItch. “Your turn.: 

Matt tensed up again as his heart hammered in his chest. There was a higher chance that the next shot held the bullet. Auston knew it as well, so it wasn’t surprising when he was the next to intervene. 

“Can I take his turn?” Both Jacob and Mitch looked at him with shock in their eyes. The corners of Jacob’s lips turned up, though you wouldn’t exactly call it a smile. 

“You want to skip Mitch’s turn?” Auston nodded. 

Jacob grabbed the back of Auston’s head and slammed his face into the table.”You don’t fucking steal another players turn!” He hissed through his teeth.”That’s rude.”

He then rolled his eyes. “I’m bored with this game.” He pointed his gun up and pulled the trigger. The shot startled everyone. 

There was an actual bullet that time. 

Jacob chuckled. “Holy shit! One of you could’ve died just now. Makes you appreciate what little time you have. In your case that’s not much longer.” 

Both Auston and Mitch held fear in their eyes from the gravity of the situation. One of them could’ve been dead. 

Matt looked back to Morgan. 

“Can you not contact Jake at all?” Morgan nodded and pulled out his phone. “This might take a second.” Matt snapped his eyes back on the screen. 

Jacob had his elbows on the table, resting his head on his hands. “What to play next.” His face lit up. “I know!” He took out a knife.

“Who can scream the loudest? My money’s on you Mitch.” Jacob plunged the knife into Mitch’s arm, ripping through the bandage into his barely healed skin. 

Mitch shrieked as blood trailed down his arm. He tried to use the other to pry Jacob’s hand away, but he couldn’t bend his fingers to grasp anything due to the earlier damage. 

Syd hid her face in Matt’s chest. How everyone else was still able to watch was beyond her. Matt felt a million thoughts race through his head. The biggest one was how much more pain this kid could take before he blacked out. 

“Morgan!” 

“I’m trying!” Morgan tapped away on his phone. “Jake you better fucking pick up.” 

Back on screen Jacob was running a hand through Mitch’s hair. His shrieking had subsided to sobbing. “Wow, you’ve set the bar pretty high.” He yanked the knife out. Mitch cradled his arm to his chest, still trembling. 

Auston snarled at Jacob. “I’m going to fucking kill you.” 

Jacob rolled his eyes. “Don’t bore me with your empty threats.” He dug the knife into Auston’s leg, where the bullet wound was. Auston shrieked bloody murder, his volume challenging MItch’s. After a few seconds his face hit the table. 

“Auston!” Mitch cried out between sobs. He tried to stand only for Jacob to grab his hurt arm. Everyone’s heart broke at the squeal of pain he made.

Jacob sneered. “Stay the fuck down.” He let go of Mitch and returned his attention to Auston. He was breathing heavily, tears pooling on the table. 

Jacob chuckled. “Wow! That was a bit of a doozy! Sorry Mitch, I think Auston won this round. Don’t worry though, you’ll definitely win the next game.” 

Matt looked to see Casey starting to fall over in the corner. “Casey!” He rushed over and helped him stand. He was breathing unevenly. A panic attack.   
Willy went to his side. “I can help him” Matt narrowed his eyes. “What?” 

“I’ve helped Kappy when he’s had panic attacks, and I’ve even had some of my own. I’ll help him. You just worry about reaching Jake.” Matt nodded and left him to aid Casey . 

As Willy got Casey to start breathing normally again, Matt shifted his gaze to the screen. 

Jacob had both his hands on either side of Mitch, trapping his small frame in between his arms. He began pressing his chest against his back. Jacob lowered his head onto his shoulder, causing Mitch to shrink in on himself.

Auston slowly lifted his head off the table, still in pain. “No please..” Tears came rushing down his face. Jacob chuckled and placed a hand on Mitch’s cheek. The blue eyed boy tried to pull away from him, only for Jacob to snatch his chin and keep him still. 

Syd felt tears prick her eyes. She regretted looking back up. She glanced at Kappy, who seemed to know exactly where this was heading. Jacob pressed his lips against Mitch’s ear. 

“It’s time to play that game I mentioned earlier Mitchy.” He yanked Mitch’s head up and shoved his upper half onto the table, bending him over. 

“Morgan!” Matt snapped his head back to see he was still struggling. “Fuck!” Morgan had tears in his eyes. “He’s not answering!”

Back on screen Mitch tried to wriggle away from Jacob, who had pinned his arms behind his back, pushing his body against his. He then started to pull his jeans past his hips. Any drowsiness inside of Auston vanished as he leapt at him. 

“I’ll fucking murder you!” Auston tackled him to the ground, giving Mitch time to push himself back up. He had tears in his eyes and refused to meet the camera. Matt’s mind went nuts as Jacob dragged his friend back up. Auston was still flailing. Mitch tensed up as he looked off screen. 

After a few seconds a man off screen handed Jacob something. Matt’s eyes widened as he saw it was a syringe. Jacob injected the substance into Auston and shoved him into a chair. Within seconds his body went still, the only things moving were his eyes. Jacob then returned his attention to Mitch, who was shaking uncontrollably. 

“See Matt? This is all your fault. All their suffering is on you.” He shoved Mitch back into his previous position. All Mitch could do was stare at Auston, whose eyes were darting around like crazy. 

“I want you to take a good long look at what you’ve caused.” Matt’s heart beat even faster as he went back to stripping Mitch.

Syd cried into his shoulder. He couldn’t comfort her. He couldn’t comfort himself. He looked once more at Jai to see him furiously tapping on his phone, tears streaming down his face. 

Willy wasn’t looking at the screen, instead focusing on Casey. Kappy stared at the floor, trembling. Finally Matt forced himself to look back at the screen. 

Jacob had hanked Mitch’s jeans down to his lower thighs. Mitch’s body shook softly as he cried into the table. Jacob had one hand on his wrists, the other on his hip. He bit his earlobe, making Mitch involuntary shiver. Jacob chuckled and moved his hand from Mitch’s hip to his front, where he pushed his hand into the underwear. 

Mitch’s face went red as he let out an involuntary moan. More tears fell down his cheeks in embarrassment. Kappy sat on the floor and buried his face in his knees. Morgan punched a wall. 

Jacob chuckled against his neck and thrust his hips forwards. Fortunately Mitch still had his boxers on, but that didn’t make it impossible to feel the movement. Mitch tried once again to escape, but he was too weak. 

Matt trembles with anger as Jacob continued to violate Mitch. Syd sobbed even harder into his shirt. 

Jacob grinned. “I think it’s time to level up.” He used one hand to hold Mitch, and the other to unbuckle his pants. 

He was about to go on, when he stopped to look directly at the camera.

“If you don’t particularly like this little show, you could always change it, Matt.” The others turned to Matt, who was staring off into space. “Matt?” Syd asked. Matt said nothing, only pulling her arms off him. 

Then he ran. 

He ignored their protests behind him as he ran back to the main room. The door was wide open. They were planning this the whole time. It was a trap. 

Matt didn’t care if it meant he could keep Jacob from hurting Mitch and Auston even more.   
He bolted into the room. The doors started to close behind him. He turned around to see Syd running full speed at the door, tears running down her face. 

“Matt!” The doors shut and locked, cutting her off. 

“Well look who we have here.” Matt slowly turned to see Jacob at the table. He was standing right above Mitch in the same position as he was on the screen. Both Auston and Mitch gave Matt looks of complete and utter fear.

Jacob smiled. “Ready to finally feel my pain?”


	28. 28

Syd banged her fists against the metal door as she cried. “Matt!” She screamed his name over and over as she made more futile attempts to break the door down.Morgan ran up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her away from the door. 

“Let me go!” She kicked at his legs, doing absolutely nothing. Morgan carried her far back enough from the door that he could react if it opened again and set her down. Syd leapt up and tried to run for it. 

Morgan wrapped his arms around her. “Syd! Calm down!” She shook her head. “I will not calm down I will not calm down!” She flailed even harder. 

Morgan scrunched his face up in anger. “Syd if you don’t calm the fuck down I’ll have to knock you out.” Syd stopped them, turning her head to glare at Morgan. “What is wrong with you?” 

Morgan’s eyes brimmed with tears. “What’s wrong with me? I am fucking useless without Jake ! He’s the brains behind this, I’m just a guy with a gun.” His arms loosened themselves around Syd as he started to cry. “Someone’s going to die, and it’s going to be my fault again.” 

“Again?” Casey jogged into the room with Willy and Kappy behind him. He had finally gone back to normal just in time to see Matt charge into the room. His attention was temporarily pulled from that and focused on Morgan’s words.

Morgan rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, fully letting go of Syd. She turned around to give him a questioning look. 

“ A while ago, my friend got caught up in drugs. He kept buying more than he could afford, and the only way for him to get out of debt was to work for the guy. Even after he made enough money to cover his debts, the guy forced him to work. Jake and I were going to expose him so my friend wouldn’t have to be his slave anymore.” Morgan’s eyes darkened.   
“Jake was talking to me through a headset, but the place had these things that blocked my signal.” He gripped his sweatshirt tightly. “I didn’t have Jake to lead me, I didn’t have any guidance.”   
He exhaled shakily. “I walked in there, thinking I could just shoot up the place.” Tears fell down his face. “And then I saw him. My friend, his brains were splattered on the floor, a huge fucking hole in his head. Jake was going to tell me that the place had cameras, that they saw me.” He was now fully sobbing. 

“Jason died because of me.” Morgan smiled softly, though it seemed morbid. “The funniest part, is that even though I knew he was dead and that there was no point, I shot every single one of those fuckers in the fucking skull.” He chuckled. “The least I could do.”

Syd and Casey shared a concerned look. Morgan spoke again. “Without Jake I can’t fucking do anything to help the others. The only thing I can do is get you all out of here safely.” 

“Bullshit.” Everyone turned to look at Willy. He was fuming. “You’re not going to fucking leave them here.” 

“I-I can’t-“ 

“You fucking can, I saw how you took out those thugs.” He stood in front of Morgan, glaring down at him. “No one else here has your skills, you’re the best we got.” 

Casey’s eyes widened. Willy had certainly changed within the past hour. Maybe seeing what had happened to Auston and Mitch had knocked some sense into him. 

Morgan wiped his tears away. “Even if I did go in, there are dozens of men in there. I can’t win, not alone.” 

“Who said you were alone?” 

Everyone turned to look down the hall. Standing there with her hands on her hips was Hillary.   
Morgan grinned. “Hillary!” 

Hillary rolled her eyes. “Yea I’m here, now when are you going to stop blaming yourself for that? It’s not your fault, it never was. And if you call yourself useless again I will slap you.” 

Meghan walked in behind her, concern evident on her face. “You’re not useless Morgan .” 

Morgan was suddenly more alert. “Meghan, what happened to your hand?” The others all turned to look at the bandaged palm. 

Hillary growled. “Those fuckers rigged my car so that it would catch fire. Meghan noticed before I did that something was wrong when it didn’t start properly. We both got out, but some oil got on Meghan when she tried to grab her gun and she scorched her hand.” 

Syd narrowed his eyes. “How did you find us?” 

Hillary pointed behind her. “We had a little help.” 

A figured walking into the room. His dark blue sweatshirt seemed too casual for the current situation, but it suited his calm atmosphere perfectly. He had a grey beanie covering most of his hair, and blue eyes that seemed to calculate everyone’s movements. He smiled, opening his mouth to speak in a very familiar voice. 

"Sup?"


	29. 29

Jacob smiled at Matt, still pinning Mitch to the table. Both men were glaring into each other’s eyes. Mitch has clenched his shut, already embarrassed as it was. Auston glanced between the two, waiting for something to happen. 

Finally Matt spoke. “You said I could change this?” Jacob nodded. 

“Get your hands off of Mitch.” His voice dripped with malice. Jacob chuckled as he pulled his hands away from him. “I honestly wasn’t going to go much further with it, I just needed you to come here.” 

Mitch stayed bent over the table, afraid to move in case it made Jacob pissed. Matt’s heart clenched. He had never seen Mitch so scared. 

Jacob walked away from the table and towards Matt. He sighed. “Well, that was quite an emotional introduction, but if I knew if I didn’t have some leverage, there was no way you’d ever appear.” He gestured to the table. “Why don’t you have a seat?”

Matt ignored every ounce of rage pulsating in his body and sat on one end of the table. The side nearest to Mitch. Jacob took the opposite end. 

They sat in silence for a few seconds, Mitch’s sniffles the only thing filling the room. 

Jacob drummed his fingers against the tabletop, humming softly to himself. Auston was still limp, his eyes fixated on Mitch. Mitch’s legs were shaking, and his knuckles were turning white from gripping the edge of the table. Matt tore his eyes away, not wanting to embarrass his friend any further. 

Matt crossed his arms. “Can you let Mitch and Auston go?” Jacob chuckled. “What? No.”  
“Please, they have nothing to go with this.”

“So?” Jacob rolled his eyes. “They matter to you, and if they suffer, you suffer even more.” He winked. “Isn’t that right Mitchy?” 

Matt narrowed his eyes. “Don’t say his nickname you fuck.” 

Jacob put his hands up in defense. “Hey, don’t get hostile on me, II haven’t killed anyone.” He lowered his hands. “But, if you’d want me to, I can trade one of them for the blonde- girl. I’m sure I’d have a lot more fun with her.” Matt’s eyes widened in horror.

“So, Matt, how’s the whore?” Jacob asked bluntly. Matt narrowed his eyes. “Excuse me?”  
Jacob smiled. “That whore you parade around, how is she?” 

Matt balled his hands into fists. “Don’t call her that.”

Jacob scowled. “What do you prefer? Bitch? Slut? Fitting because of the fact she always feels the need to cake herself in makeup.” He leaned forward. “She’s nothing but a gold-digger. I bet she uses your money to shower herself in expensive gifts. What does she bring to the table? All that slut is is a warm hole for you to stick it in.” 

Matt pushed himself onto his feet.”Shut up. Shut. Up. Syd is a princess, and you know nothing about her. She is my fucking light in the darkness, and has a heart of fucking gold. You can’t call her all this shit when you’ve never met her.” 

Jacob clicked his tongue. “That slut doesn’t compare to Ava.” 

Matt grit his teeth. “Who the fuck is Ava?”

Jacob stood up as well. “If that whore is a princess than Ava is a goddess! SHe looked gorgeous without trying! She drew adorable little pictures of you and all of your little toronto fucks! She spent hours at a night trying to copy plays that she watched you play!”

His eyes started to brim with tears. “She had the brightest green eyes and had the softest red hair. Her laugh could light up a room, her smile could brighten anyone’s day. Her voice-“ The tears fell down his face. “God I miss her voice.”

He lowered his head as tears rolled down his face. Matt furrowed his brow, unsure how to feel. 

“Her lips, were so soft. Every kiss was a blessing.” He smiled softly, surprising everyone with its genuinity. He seemed, normal. Then his eyes darkened as he looked to Matt.   
“How come everytime she kissed me she thought of you?” 

Matt was fuming. “Stop blaming me for this! I’ve never met this girl and even if I had I would’ve never dumped Syd for her.” He sighed. “I’m sorry she died, and I’m sorry she had some crush on me, but I had nothing to do with that. Ava must’ve had some personal problems to deal with on her own, ones that maybe even you couldn’t solve.” 

Jacob growled. “All you are is an ignorant piece of shit who can’t see the damage he is doing.” His eyes welled with tears. “Ava knew you would never fall for her because you were banging that slut. I tried so hard to be you, to be her Matt.” He balled his hands into fists. “But I wasn’t enough.” 

Jacob slammed his fist on the table, making both Mitch and Matt jump. The corners of his lips pulled back into a disgusting grin. “So what if the love of my life is dead? It doesn’t mean I can’t honor her in death.” Jacob’s eyes bore into Matt’s skull. “Which brings me to the topic of now.” 

Matt glanced between his friends nervously.”What about now?” Jacob tilted his head to the side. “Ava never got to have her perfect fantasy life with you, but maybe you can help me achieve my fantasy.” He stood up and walked over to Matt, stopping mere inches away.   
Jacob leaned down so he could whisper into Matt’s ear. 

“I want her to be happy, even if it’s not with me. She may not have had you in life, but maybe she can finally get her wish in death.” Matt felt the cold steel of a revolver against his head. 

“Say hello to Ava for me.” Jacob leaned back as he started to pull the trigger.

Both men froze as the main doors blew off their hinges.


	30. 30

The doors blew off their hinges as the room shook. Jacob lowered his gun to gaze at the ground running in. Matt took his opportunity and ducked under th etable. As he crawled his way over to his friends he recognized Morgan, and nearly cheered upon seeing Hillary, Meghan, and Jake 

Gunshots ran throughout the room as both parties opened fire. Matt crawled on his hands and knees, making his way down the table. SOme guards dropped down, dead. Jacob was nowhere to be seen. 

Once he was by Mitch he yanked him down by his ankles. Mitch shrieked and tried to rip Matt’s hands off. 

“Mitchy! It’s me, Matt!” He kept his hands firmly on Mitch’s shoulders. Mitch opened his eyes wide. “Marty?” 

Matt nodded. “It’s me.” Mitch blinked back tears as he wrapped his arms around his friend. Matt hugged him back, making sure not to accidentally touch anywhere that Jacob might have. 

After a few seconds Matt had to cut the hug off. He gave Mitch a serious stare. “Stay down, I'm getting Aus.” Mitch nodded, through his eyes were wide with fear. Matt crawled over to Auston’s chair and dragged him down by his legs as well. He hit the floor hard, and Matt cursed at himself for momentarily forgetting he was paralyzed. 

“Aus?” Mitch scooted over so he could see Auston more clearly. His eyes darted around, showing that he was in fact still alive. Matt sighed and pulled Auston’s upper body over his lap. He was dead weight, and any hope Matt had of simply carrying him out was diminished as he realized that. 

Mitch held onto Auston’s limp hand and looked into Matt’s eyes. “What are we going to do?” Matt bit his lip as the gunshots rang. Someone fell to the ground. A guard. His gun flew out of his dead hands and landed about two feet from the table. 

Matt narrowed his eyes. “Stay down.” 

Mitch furrowed his brow. “What?” Matt crawled out from under the table, stretching his arm towards the gun. Mitch squeezed Auston’s hand even tighter. “Marty!” 

Almost there. Matt stretched even more, bullets hitting the tabletop. The gun was only an inch from his fingertips. 

Finally he reached it. He yanked the gun into his hands and pulled himself back under the table. 

Mitch glanced at the gun. “What are you going to do?” Matt looked under the table seeing that none of the guards were left. He grabbed the gun tightly in his hand as he looked for Jacob. 

Where was he?

A hand snatched him by the wrist, pulling him out from under the table. Matt tried to pull away. 

“Matt, chill.” Matt stopped moving immediately. “Jake?” 

The man smiled. “In the flesh.” 

Matt broke out into a huge grin and hugged him. “Holy shit! You’re here?” Jake nodded as Hillary picked Auston up. His body was still very limp, but his fingers were starting to twitch.   
Mitch was standing next to Morgan, his jeans pulled back up.

Jake ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve actually been in Canada, just as long as Morgan . I knew if I told you I was here you’d go out on the streets to find me. Looks like you ended up here anyway.” He chuckled nervously. “That’s my fault, I. Should’ve had you remain put.” 

Matt shook his head. “I would’ve gone out to find them without your help, you did the right thing by telling me.” 

“If you two are done, I’d like to go to the hospital now.” Matt turned to see Auston shifting in Hillars arms. His voice sounded lazy, so there wasn’t total feeling back. The drug was fading though. 

Matt smiled. “I guess we’re get the others and go?” He turned around to walk out the door only to freeze. Jacob was standing in the doorway, Syd in one arm, a gun in the other. 

Jake held onto Matt’s arm, knowing fully well that if lashed out it could result in her death.   
Jacob smiled.

“Well the tables have turned, haven’t they? My love took her life because of you, and now your love is about to lose her life because of me.” He tilted his head, resting it in her hair. “Irony is blissful. Isn’t it?”

Syd’s eyes were fixated on Matt as Jacob tightened his hold on her waist. “This seems just. Ava was ripped away from me, it’s only fair that I kill your fiance as well.” 

Matt yanked his arm out of Spence’s grip. “Get your hands off her! I’m the one you hate, why are you taking it out on everyone else?” 

Jacob rolled his eyes. “Oh please, I’m going to shoot you anyway, I want Ava to get what she wants. Before I send you to her I want you to realize what I felt that day. So take a good fucking look, because what you’re about to feel is what I live through everyday.” He held the gun to Syd’s temple. 

BANG

Matt screamed as Syd’s face filled with blood. Her eyes went wide as Jacob let go of her. He tumbled backwards into a lifeless heap on the floor. Syd wiped his blood off her face as she looped up to see Willy holding a gun. He let go of it, intertwining his hand with Kappy’s once more. 

Matt ran over to Syd and wrapped his arms around her trembling frame. . 

“Matt-“ She struggled to get his name out. Matt kissed her forehead and hugged her close. “I’m right here.” 

Jake shouted to the others. “We have to move! Jacob still has goons in the building and I know we don’t have enough bullets to handle them.” He gestured to the door. “We’ll go out through the back and call the police. Now that Jacob is gone it’s just a matter of outnumbering his goons.” 

Matt grasped Syd’s hand in his own. “Let’s go.” Spence nodded and started to run down the hall, everyone trailing behind them. 

Only two men got in their way, and Morgan took them out with ease. Once they got to the exit Matt cried out in joy. “We’re out! We’re fucking out!” He turned to Syd, who was smiling. He smiled back and leaned down to kiss her. It only lasted a few moments, but it was enough to keep them both grounded. 

Matt felt a pair of arms wrap around his shoulders as Casey hugged him. He chuckled as Mitch joined in.Hillary sighed, dragging Auston over so he could be a part of it. Kappy yanked on Willy’s hand bringing him into the hug as well. Matt smiled at all his friends. 

It faded soon as he realized Jake wasn’t there. 

“Jake ?” He turned to look at Morgan. His eyes were full of tears as he yelled into a phone. “No, get the fuck out.Jake, you don’t have to do this! The cops will be here soon!”

Matt pulled away from the others to question him. “Morgan, where’s Jake?” Morgan wiped his eyes.

“He’s still in there.” 

Matt grabbed his phone.”Jake! What are you doing?”

“All of them are in the hotel. There is an electronic locking system that I can use to keep them in until the police show up.”Jake paused. “I have to stay inside to stay in the system.” 

Matt clenched the phone tightly. “Jake, there are dozens of men with guns inside, you’ll be outnumbered.” 

Jake chuckled. “And you guys will be safe.” A loud beep had signaled that he had hung up. Matt looked down at the phone in disbelief. He jumped as he heard gunshots from within the building. His vision started to blur. 

“Matt?” Syd called out to him. Her voice faded as he fell to his knees. People rushed around him as it all faded to black.


	31. 31

Matt slowly opened his eyes. He was laying down ina. Bed that wasn’t his own. TUbes were going into his wrist and nose, making him squeamish. He pushed himself up, wincing at the soreness in his body. 

A hospital. He was in a hospital. 

Matt’s heartbeat sped up. If he was here, where was everyone else? 

“Hello?” His voice cracked. No one else was in the room. He bit his lip, trying to remember anything after Jake hung up. Nothing came to mind. 

The door creaked open, and a familiar face popped her head in. “So you finally woke up.” 

Hillary smiled. Matt grinned back. “I guess, what happened?” 

Hillary sat on the edge of his bed. “Well, while you were out, the cops came. They arrested all of Jacobs remaining goons, a couple I think. The rest of us were rushed to the hospital. You’ve been out for about a day and a half. As for the others,” She ran a hand through her hair as she went down the list. 

“Willy didn’t suffer as much damage as the rest of us, but decided to wait with Kappy. Both of those dorks were planning on leaving as soon as you woke up. Auston is no longer paralyzed, the drugs are out of his system. Both him and Syd got bandaged up and are fine. Casey and Mitchy are suffering the most. They’re both ordered to stay in bed until their doctor determines them well enough to go.” She grinned. “But they’re okay.” 

Matt sighed. “Good, I can’t imagine all the fucking therapy they’ll all have to go through.” His eyes widened. “Hillary, is Jake here?” 

Her eyes clouded as she looked away from Matt. She opened her mouth, closed it, and then shook her head. 

The heart rate monitor next to Matt picked up in speed as he started to shake. Tears fell down his cheeks as his breathing became irregular. Hillary scooted over to him and wrapped her arms around him. Matt buried his face into her shoulder. 

Both of them refused to say the words. 

After what seemed like years, a small voice gained their attention, causing them to pull apart. Syd was standing in the doorway. She had new clothes, and looked like she had taken a shower. Her eyes lit up at the sight of Matt. 

“Marty!” She ran over to his side and pulled him in for a tight hug. Matt hugged back, at least happy that she was well. His thoughts returned to Jake, and he gripped her tighter. 

Syd ran a hand through his hair, nodding. “I know, I know.” Matt exhaled shakily as more tears fell down his face. Hillary bit her lip and left the room, knowing the couple needed to sort this out together. 

Matt pushed her away. “I love you Syd.” Syd smiled. “ I love you too.” 

“Thankfully it all worked out, right?” Syd furrowed her brow. “Matt-“ 

“They’re going to go home. We’re going to go home. We’re going to play with Jax and I’m going to go back to playing hockey and we’re going to travel-“ 

Syd gripped both sides of his face. “Matt.” His eyes welled with tears. “That’s what we wanted, right? It’s our happy ending. Just without.” He lowered his head as the sobs took over. 

Syd rubbed circles into his back. “He sacrificed himself for us. We’re free now, thanks to Jake .” Matt said nothing. 

Syd bit her lip as she tried to think of something else to say. 

She couldn’t. 

They stayed in each other's arms. Matt sobbing, Syd comforting him. 

They were free. 

But what Jacob and the others did to them all was going to stay with them forever. 

The scars on their bodies will remind them of the individual pain that had to go through. Syd nearly broke into tears at what Kappy and Mitch had happen to them. No one walks away from that perfectly fine. It was going to take a long time for them to let anyone touch their skin without thinking of the abuse they had. No amount of therapy will erase that. 

Auston,Casey, and Willy are better physically, but they felt useless in all of this. They had to sit back as both their friends and themselves were tortured. Syd knew them well enough that they were going to blame themselves for what happened. Nothing anyone was going to say would convince them otherwise. 

And Matt. This entire even surrounded him. He was going to blame himself for everything, and as much as Syd would argue it wasn’t his fault, Matt would never believe her. 

Especially if his fame accidentally caused the death of one of his friends. 

Syd’s face scrunched in anger. What was wrong with people? They were psychotic. What Jacob did was unforgivable. Her face softened. As much as she wanted to stay mad, she couldn’t. There was too much sadness going around right now for her to waste time on anger. 

She rested her chin on Matt's shoulder and hummed. His snobbing had died down into little sniffles. A nurse would walk in soon and tell them what would happen next. Syd furrowed her brow. What were they going to tell the fans after this? 

She sighed and decided that was something to worry about later. Right now her only concern was Matt. As she hummed she wondered if they’d ever be able to play hockey with their friends anymore without their thoughts going back to his event. 

Probably not. 

It’s the sad truth. This event was carved into their minds, and no matter how much therapy they go through, it will remain there. So all Syd could do now was comfort Matt. 

She hummed as his tears stained her shit, running her hand through his hair. At least they were free. 

But were they really?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and there it is! i might write an epilogue chapter for this...but who knows also direct shoutout to @mitcheemarns on tumblr cause she said it would be better if there was jake/mo in this and that's where i got the idea for the secret identity of Spence!


End file.
